Page 41 of The Holidays with Dr. Mitchell
I thought we’d be staying at one of the many luxury hotels where the rich and famous love to vacation when they’re in this area, but my brother had other plans through all hislovelyconnections. As it turns out, the Aster family owned one of the first villas built in the upper St. Moritz area. From what Jim said about this historic chalet, it had ten bedrooms spread over five floors, and we were sure to find the best Christmas experience there.
“How much are the Asters charging us to enjoy their exclusive winter escape?” I questioned Jim as we sat in the lush velvet seating of the dining car on the Christmas train.
“Why would the Asters charge us to stay in their home?” Jim asked, sipping his heavily spiked eggnog.
I glanced around the ornately decorated train car where we sat, wishing Ash was enjoying it with me instead of napping in our plush train car, but after the night we’d had, my lady needed to catch up on her sleep.
“Well, Seb and John wouldn’t, obviously, but their parents?” I said, sipping my eggnog from a silver mug. “I don’t know. You businessmen tend to make money on everything you do.” I reached for a lemon cake from the dessert platter in the middle of the table before us. “Like this train?”
“What about it?” Spencer chimed in with that damn smirk I’d seen him wear since convincing me to go on thelovers’ retreat.
“Oh, please. Don’t act like we were born yesterday,” Collin said. “Jim didn’t only do all of this shit for Avery, the kids, and the rest of the ladies.” He arched his eyebrow at my brother. “You’re probably only doing this because you’re proposing some deal to the owners of this train to go into business and make a little side cash during the holidays.”
“As they say, the wealthy stay wealthy because they don’t blow their cash on bullshit,” I said. “The Asters are not the typeof family to do anything for people that doesn’t benefit them in return.”
Jim smiled at me in response to that, “So you’re saying that Big Daddy and Margot Aster didn’t do this out of the goodness of their hearts?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” I answered him.
“Look at the mindfulness with which you come to these conclusions,” Jim chuckled, the booze in his eggnog keeping him light and humorous. “You should go on those meditation retreats more often. It has expanded your conversations to more in-depth?—”
“You start this vacation off by torturing us with a mindlessprank, which you all,” I eyed Jim, Alex, and Spencer all sitting around the dining car with smug grins on their faces, “should have been praying that Collin and I would forget about.”
“Well, that’s partly why you’re on Santa’s Express,” Jim answered with a chuckle, eyeing his co-conspirators.
I couldn’t wait until retaliation befell all three of these bastards just because of this ridiculous,cliquevibe they were throwing out.
“And then you try to insult me by saying that Gustoff was paid to fuck with me and Collin?—”
“Jack,” Alex interrupted me with a chuckle.
“What?” I said, confused.
“The man that played the role of Gustoff is named Jack,” he smiled arrogantly at me. “Jack Masterson. He’s trying to get a big break in Hollywood and hopingthismight be it.”
“How the fuck is he supposed to get a big break in Hollywood when he’s fucking around in the Maldives like some fake meditation guru to mess with Collin and me?”
Jim snickered, bringing me and Collin to stare at him with curiosity.
“Well, you should probably know that cameras documented everything you guys did and went through. We have all of it recorded.” Jim flipped his phone, and my mouth dropped open when I saw the night vision cameras recording Collin and me out in the forest on the second night.
“You’re not that fucking stupid,” Collin said. “I swear to everything that makes Christmasjolly and brightthat you will all pay dearly if you don’t delete that off every single device.”
“AndJack Mastersonand I will have words if he thinks he’s going to make it in Hollywood on our backs, being pranked by you three dickheads,” I added.
“Here’s the deal,” Jim said, putting his phone down and offering us both that damn controlling CEO look. “All of thisinsurancegoes away and gets deleted off of all devices once we’re assured that you two won’t retaliate.”
I smirked at my brother. “Look at you three chicken shits.” I eyed the smug executives. “Scared shitless about what Collin and I are going to do to get even.”
“Of course,” Spencer said casually. “It was a fun prank, nothing worse than what you two would do; however, you two don’t like being fucked with the same way you fuck with everyone else.”
“So, we knew that if we finally got your asses back for the bullshit you are relentlessly pulling on us, we’d have to do something drastic,” Alex added, almost as if they’d all rehearsed thismafia-styleconversation before putting their plans in motion.
“We knew we had to have insurance so you wouldn’t retaliate. Thus, the recordings,” Jim finished.
“I don’t know about you,” Collin said to me, “but I couldn’t give a fuck what anyone thinks about us shitting our brains out in the woods.”
I smiled at my best friend. “I agree. Actually, I think it’s a fantastic way of reminding the world that everyone should do an annual colon cleanse. It’s a healthy way for two surgeons to show the world that if we can do it, anyone can do it, and colon health is extremely important.” I brought my cocky smile back to the three men trying to blackmail us.
