Chapter 19
Barbara and her father alighted, along with Archibald Vandergrift, from the hansom cab that had conveyed them from the Grand Union Hotel on Broadway to Its intersection with Union Avenue and from there on Union through the very center of Congress Park to the gates of the Saratoga Race Course, located out on the far eastern edge of town. It was early afternoon, on a picture perfect day … with a bright blue sky, a light breeze, and fluffy-white decorator clouds floating lazily by overhead.
The scene before them, as they alighted, was alive with festive activity. There were cabs everywhere, disgorging crowds of people … many elegantly dressed … making their way in animated clusters towards the race course entry gates. Street vendors shouted and waved. Flags and colorful pennants snapped in the breeze atop the gray-multipeaked-roofline of the elongated two- and three-tiered sections of the race course’s enormous grandstand.
Barbara was herself smartly dressed for the occasion in an all-white outfit with black edges and trimmings. She wore, as was her wont that summer, one of the newly fashionable straight-line skirts with a daring hemline, cut high enough to offer, as she walked, flashing glimpses of slim white-stockinged ankles. A high-necked, front-pleated, puffy-sleeved blouse and a matching white sun parasol and small feathered hat, worn jauntily off to one side, completed the ensemble.
Archie and her father were nearly identically and conservatively costumed in black shoes with spats, light gray linen trousers and vests, with dark sack coats worn over starched shirts and wing collars accented by dark bow ties. They each wore a dark bowler hat.
“Oh, this is so exciting,” gushed Barbara, linking her arm in Archie’s as the proceeded towards the entry gates, with father following in their wake. It had taken a great deal of cajoling, not only on her part but by Archie as well, to get father to agree to the outing. He wanted nothing to do with the racetrack, but when it became apparent that the young couple were determined to go, he had decided to come along, to keep an eye on them and a wary eye out for that Goldman character … just in case.
And for Barbara, the possibility … no, it was more than that .. the high probability of seeing Goldman at the race course far overshadowed every other reason for being there. She knew it to be likely because she could well imagine … in fact, knew in her heart … that horse racing would be exactly the kind of thing that would attract a man like Goldman.
But even more importantly, she had taken steps to ensure that Goldman would be there by bribing a Grand Union bell hop the night before to slip an envelope under Goldman’s hotel room door. The envelope had contained a heavily perfumed note with the simple message, “Race track tomorrow afternoon. Hope to see you there. B.”
Watching Goldman take masterful command over the rescue of that dreadful Seamus O’Neill out on the lake the previous afternoon, had filled her with yet another reason to admire and want to possess this enticing young man. While Archie had lent a helpful hand, it had been Goldman who had taken charge and led. And she could tell afterward that that had been a source of chagrin for Archie, who had sensed her admiration for the actions of the man he now seriously regarded as a rival, no matter how unconventional that might be.
Indeed, Barbara had become so desirous of Goldman that she was prepared to take extraordinary risks, if necessary, to pursue him.
Thoughts of him had so invaded her consciousness, that things had gotten to the point where she had to force herself to pay attention to people, conversations and events around her.
And her infatuation had become powerfully sensual as well. Indeed, she had found herself, late on the previous night, reliving in her mind while lying in bed that illicit hard kiss and tight embrace in his hotel room, and had felt the heat and tingle of passion welling up in her loins.
In time, she had gotten herself so worked up that she had stolen out of her bedroom in search of Kristina’s wooden dildo, hoping it might still be lying on the sitting room fireplace grate where her father had so contemptuously tossed it. But alas, it was gone, forcing her to retreat to her bed … and use her fingers instead.
But back to the present.
Lining up, Archie first, followed by Barbara, with father bringing up the rear, they passed through the turnstiles and found themselves inside the grounds. Archie signaled to a young man selling programs, and purchased one.
“Look here,” he said, waving it before Barbara’s eyes. “The main event this afternoon is the annual running of the Grand Union Hotel Stakes!”
“Why that’s named after our hotel, isn’t it!” she exclaimed.
“Yes. Quite right. It says here in the program that the Grand Union Hotel Stakes is a race of six furlongs on a dirt track and run by two-year old horses.”
“Six furlongs? How long is that?”
“A little less than a mile. Basically once around the track.”
“Oh, so what do we do? Can we bet on a horse?”
“Only if you want to waste good money,” snorted her father contemptuously from where he stood behind Archie’s back.”
“Oh, but I want to place a bet. That’s what everyone does here, right?”
“Sure. That’s what people do,” laughed Archie. “Look. I‘ll put up the money. You take a look at the program. The horses are all listed there. Which one would you like to put money on, Barbara?”
Frowning, she scanned the list of competing horses. “They have such strange names, some of them. Here! Why not place our bet on this one. Its name is ‘One’. Sounds like a winner, don’t you think?”
“Sure, why not. The race is still almost an hour from now. Why don’t you and your father wander over to the infield over yonder, while I go stand in line to place our bet. There’s a mineral spring there, called the Big Red Spring where you can partake of the water that made Saratoga Springs famous, and a gazebo where you can get out of the sun. You can also get a close-up view of the horses from there as they are led from the stables.”
“Oh, that does sound interesting. Father and I can do that. Will it take long to place the bet? When do we go to the viewing stands?”
“There’s a bell that’s rung exactly 17 minutes before the race begins to alert everyone that it’s time to make their way to the stands. But, don’t worry. I should be back in plenty of time from placing our bet to join you before the race.”
“Yes, that sounds good. You obviously know so much about how this all works, Archie. I’m truly very much impressed,” she gushed, stretching to peck him on the cheek with a chaste little kiss.
“Right, see you soon.”
And then, with Archie out of the way and father escorting her to the infield, she was free to engage in looking about in search of Goldman. And as luck would have it … it wasn’t long before she succeeded in spotting him.
He was standing just off to one side of the gazebo, engaged in conversation with some other men. She was fairly certain they were the same ones she had seen him with that night, weeks ago, at Delmonico’s.
Unlike, father and Archie, Goldman and his pals were more informally dressed, wearing light-colored flannel lounge suits and straw boater hats. All were wearing their coats with only the topmost of four buttons fastened, as was the latest fashion. They all seemed so carefree and so fashionably attuned. She found that so attractive.
Taking care to maneuver father so that he was not looking in Goldman’s direction, she positioned herself relative to him in a way that allowed her to wave gaily at Goldman without drawing her father’s attention.
And Goldman was quick to spot her and return her wave. Then he turned away and appeared to be engaged in a conversation with his friends that quite obviously was about her. She could tell that it was because they all kept glancing in her direction. She wondered what was being discussed so earnestly that might involve her.
Eventually one of Goldman’s pals broke off from the others and began sauntering over in her direction, attaching himself after a while to a family group that happened to be bearing directly down on the very spot where she and her father stood. He eventually passed by so closely that he managed to brush against her. And in the process, adroitly slipped a small piece of folded paper into her hand.
‘So clever, and so deliciously romantic too!’ she thought to herself excitedly.
She couldn’t wait so see what message might be written on that paper. Most surely it had to be a love note of some kind. But finding out had to be done without arousing father’s interest, so she bided her time, waiting until father decided, as she knew he eventually would, that he needed a smoke and would be focusing his full attention on lighting a cigar.
Turning her back on him, she opened and quickly scanned the message. Rather than some romantic verse or declaration of love, it simply read: “After the race, you’ll find me waiting for you beneath section B of the grandstand. There’s always a huge press of exiting crowd then. Take advantage of it to slip away, if you possibly can. S.G.”
She refolded the note carefully and slipped it under the waistband of her skirt … just as father turned to inform her that he had spotted Archie headed there way.
Moments later Archie had rejoined them.
“Our bet is placed,” he announced, handing her a slip of paper. “Don’t get your hopes too high, though, Barbara. I understand from what I overheard standing in line that our horse is not one of those favored to win.”
“Hah! What do they know? How can a horse with a name like ‘One’ possibly lose?” she asserted gaily.
“Good point! Hey! Listen! There’s the bell I told you about. We’ve got 17 minutes to find our place in the Grandstand. According to our entry tickets we’re up on the second deck of section C.”
************
A quarter of an hour later, they had found their designated place in the stands, and were looking down with keen anticipation at the horses and jockeys making their way to the starting gate down on the oval dirt track, Even father seemed to be taking an interest.
“There’s ‘One’! I see him now!” cried Barbara, excitedly. “Look at him! So sleek looking! He does look like a winner, don’t you agree?”
“Let’s hope so!” enthused Archie, wrapping his arm around behind her waist and stealing the liberty of planting his hand firmly on her hip, and daring to give it a little squeeze,
“Good money wasted, no doubt,” muttered her father acidly, while duly noting the placement of Archie’s hand.
Moments later the horses were off and running, with ‘One’ appearing to be stuck roughly in the middle of the pack. But by halfway around the far side of the elongated oval track, the horse could be seen to be gaining on the leaders, passing them one by one. And then, as the second curve was rounded and the pack came thundering down the final stretch, ‘One’ surged ahead to take the lead and held it to the finish.
“He did it! He did it!” screamed Barbara. “We won! We won!” She was jumping up and down with excitement.
“So we did!” cried Archie, embracing her and lifting her off her feet, both hands grasping her ass. He spun her around twice and planted a kiss on her open mouth.
“We’ll, I’ll be damned!” said her father. “How much money did we win?”
“Given the odds, an awful lot. A quite tidy sum!” exalted Archie. “Come on! Let’s go collect our winnings!”
Off they headed for the exits, plunging into the teeming masses headed in the same direction. And it was at that moment, that Barbara realized the simple genius of Goldman’s plan, for she found it amazingly easy to separate herself from Archie and father in the mad melee. Slipping off to one side, and carried away by the crush of bodies, she found herself headed for a side exit and ramp leading to the ground. Father and Archie were lost from sight.
Eventually she emerged out the pavement behind the grandstand. A quick glance told her that father and Archie were still nowhere in sight, probably having gone out one of the far exits to her right, so gathering her bearings she slipped off to the left in the direction of what she reckoned to be section B.
And within seconds of arriving there, a hand suddenly reached out of nowhere to grip her by the elbow to direct her into a narrow passageway that led under the stands. It was, of course, Goldman. So she allowed herself to be led down that passageway, and then along a side passage that led to a small enclosed space, where Goldman stopped and she flew into his arms.
And just as had happened late that night back in his hotel room, they embraced and kissed hard and long. But this time they didn’t stop. Instead they staggered over to, and fell onto, a pile of straw, with she on top and Goldman beneath her.
There they continued to kiss one another passionately. She felt his hands run up and down her back once or twice, then downwards to grip her firmly by the ass, then upwards along her sides to first graze and then grip and squeeze her bosom, before pushing her away and flipping her over on her backside.
Lying alongside of her, he pulled her over onto her side facing him … and reaching behind her back, began to undo, one by one, the fastenings on the back of her blouse while she tugging her skirt upwards.
And, as they began to come close to one another in that way, she felt in her loins that exact same tingle and heat of desire that she had felt thinking of him as she lay alone in her bed the night before.
It’s only fair!
Not to mention the risk of drowning out there...
