Fast Lane | ✔️

7

Ch7

The two friends drove the shiny, white Bentley through the arched, rust-colored gates, down the quarter mile long driveway and into the vast Holmby Hills estate. They hurried out of the car and fumbled up the stairs of the lavish home; arms and lips entwined. In their haste, they pressed against the carved Mahogany doors, their locked embrace growing more passionate.

"What about the security cameras?" Juliana asked breathlessly when the two finally came up for air.

Ashton pushed her wild auburn curls away from her face and pulled up the key-less entry app on her phone. "Don't worry--I'll take care of it."

Within minutes, the girls were tangled together once again. They made their way across the crystallized marble floor of the foyer and into the spacious living room where they preceded to collapse onto a contemporary leather sofa.

"Where's Constance?" Juliana questioned as she pulled the soft blue silk of her friend's shirt over her head.

"How should I know? Probably fast asleep. She's my maid, not my mother! She doesn't wait up for me."

Juliana reluctantly pulled away and stood. Slowly, she stepped out of her black halter dress, revealing nothing underneath. "I know that, I just don't want to get caught, amiga." She reached for Ashton's hands and pulled her up from the soft confines of the cream-colored suede. Together, they removed the remainder of their clothing and settled back down into the inviting cushions of the couch. "Then all of your running around with Marrtin Lucci would be in vain," she griped, finding it difficult to keep the spite from her tone. It was no secret that Juliana didn't appreciate Ashton's efforts to keep their affair carefully concealed, and she found it especially irritating that her friend had decided to get involved in a platonic friendship with the up-and-coming actor, even if it was only for publicity purposes. As far as Juliana was concerned, Ashton was putting entirely too much effort into throwing everyone off their track. Who cared if the world found out they were involved? Was it really that bad?

However, Juliana understood the real reason why Ashton was so intent on keeping their relationship a secret, even if Ashton didn't yet realize it herself.

Underneath the redhead's impetuous exterior, lurked a fragile and vulnerable woman. Her whole life she'd been tirelessly seeking the approval of her selfish, egotistical mother, but Juliana feared her friend would never win that elusive, maternal blessing. Ashton had worked like a dog to make a career for herself. The empire she had been building since childhood long surpassed her mother's own net worth, something Juliana was convinced evoked jealousy in the cold-hearted Ms. Montgomery. How could the woman who had given birth to Ashton feel that kind of envy? How could she be so frigid, turning away her only child as though she were some worthless, arch rival? Sure, Juliana had known problems with her own mother in the past, but this was different. She'd never once doubted her parents love, even though they had misguidedly used her as a cash cow for their economically-challenged family. As twisted as it was, their need for Juliana to succeed came out of pure necessity.

Ashton's situation was different. From what Juliana could piece together, the mother and daughter had been in an unspoken competition since the day Ashton was born, even though her friend didn't see it that way. Marilyn Montgomery had never planned on having a family, she was too involved with her theater career to find the need in that. When she had unexpectedly gotten pregnant with her daughter, the seed of resentment had been planted. Growing up, Ashton was raised by a flurry of nannies and had never really known her workaholic mother, and the identity of her father had never been revealed. Ashton tried desperately over the years to please the intolerant actress, and she still made strives to this day. Sadly, her efforts were always lost.