Silks: A Taboo Kentucky Derby Romance

Chapter 1 （Ophelia）

“Take it or leave it,” the cop said.

“C’mon,” I groaned. “I can’t do that.”

“You’re looking at 6-12 months then,” the cop said. His name was Harvey and he probably wasn’t half bad when you got to know him. But right now, looking at his shiny smug face and tight polyester cop pants, I wanted to strangle him.

“6-12 months for a protest is bullshit,” I said. “What about my constitutional rights?”

“What about them?” Harvey retorted. “You were caught on video saying you wanted to burn the Pillow Kisses company headquarters down unless they stopped testing on animals.”

“Yes, but I didn’t,” I said. “Also, that company has tested their stupid lipsticks on thousands of helpless animals so fuck them.”

“You talk like a rich girl,” Harvey said, crossing his arms smugly across his chest. “But you’re a rich girl who won’t even bother to call her family to tell them she’s been arrested.”

I said nothing. Goddamn Harvey. My only weakness.

For a moment, we stared at each other across the table. I folded my cuffed hands on the gnarled old wood. I could wait this fucker out forever.

Wait, shit, no, I couldn’t.

“You didn’t call my family, did you?” I burst out.

“Which family?” Harvey asked, leaning forward to plunge the knife in deeper. “Your father Theodore Barrington the IV? Your mother Penelope Barrington? Your twin brother Theodore Barrington V?”

“Shit, you didn’t call Teddy, did you?” I cried in horror.

God, anybody but him. But I’d already been in jail overnight. If they’d called Teddy I would have known by now.

“No, I did not,” said Harvey, looking as smug as the cat who swallowed the cream. “But doesn’t that just show how estranged you are from your family? You didn’t even call them when you got arrested? And what we’re asking you to do is a simple thing. It would really be doing a good deed.”

“How would spying on my own family be a good deed?” I asked sourly.

“Your family is one of the biggest players in the horse-racing circuit,” he said. “Everyone knows they play dirty, but they’ve never been caught. Rumor is that they’re planning to rig the Kentucky Derby this year, but no one knows how. That’s where you come in. If you go undercover and give us some usable information, we’ll drop the charges.”

“Who says I’ll be able to find anything?” I argued, stalling for time. “Plus, I don’t want to go back to Louisville. They’re all a bunch of heartless fucking rich parasitical ghouls.”

“That’s even better,” said Harvey. “Think of how satisfying it will be to strike a blow against inequality by spying on them.”

“Shut up, Harvey,” I said irritably. “I’ll do it, damn. But I might not find out anything. They might be pissed to see me.”

“I doubt it,” Harvey said, as he reached over to undo my handcuffs. “Theodore Barrington the IV’s only daughter? I bet you’re the apple of everyone’s eye. They’ll be falling all over you with joy.”

I doubted it.

I knew at least one person who’d be pissed at me.

My stupid asshole twin brother Teddy.

*

THE NEXT DAY, I WASdriving from Chicago where I lived to Louisville, Kentucky, where my parents lived. The Derby was in three days and my parents would be hosting their usual charity dinner tonight. I was a graduate student in agricultural science and I usually wore jeans and leggings and T-shirts. But just as I was leaving, my roommate Beth handed me a selection of bridesmaid dresses she had recently worn so I would have something formal to wear tonight. As I dug through them while driving, I noticed to my dismay that they were all strapless.

Fuck, they were all going to look stupid on my huge tits.

Oh well. It wasn’t like I was trying to impress anybody.

I went over my plan of action as I drove down the leafy tree-lined streets where Louisville’s fabulously wealthy horse-racing elite lived.

Step 1. Blend in.

Step 2. Gain their trust.

Step 3. Find out what my shady filthy rich father and finance douchebag brother were up to.

Step 4. Report back to Harvey, get my charges dropped.

Step 5. Get the fuck out of Louisville.