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The lift doors open. I step out and walk to Xavier’s flat. I can’t even begin to tell him how grateful I am that he’s doing this for me. This is going to be gold on social media. Hell, I could just post a video of him and it would get a lot of clicks, but Xavier in his dedicated dressing room? With a luggage collection that includes Birkin?

I’m not being arrogant when I say it will go viral. Because it one hundred percent will.

I rap on his door. Within seconds, I hear the lock turn on the other side of the door, and I’m greeted by Xavier. His wavy brown hair is tousled in that sexy, messy way, and there’s stubble in the same colour shading his jaw. He’s wearing a tailored white linen dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, revealing his tattoo sleeves. There’s a massive platinum watch on his left wrist, and a stack of bracelets on his right.

My gaze meets his. His hazel eyes shine mischievously at me, and his mouth begins to quirk up in a flirty way. “You ready to go viral, Catherine?” he asks.

I take it back. I’m not merely going to go viral.

I’m going to break the internet with Xavier looking like this.

“I’m so ready,” I say as he ushers me inside. “I cannot thank you enough for doing this.”

Xavier shuts the door behind me. I get a whiff of his cologne as I move past him, and, remembering my promise to Hadleigh, I try to figure it out. Ooh, it’s good. Like cedar and spice. Whatever it is, it definitely suits him.

“I couldn’t let you rest your fate on Caleb’s backpack,” Xavier declares.

I can’t help but laugh. Caleb brings the same old black backpack to every race weekend.

“Well, you’re being very generous with your time and opening up your collection to me,” I say. “Thank you.”

“No thanks are necessary. Do you want anything to drink before we get started? A water?”

“No, thank you.”

“All right. Then come on back to my dressing room.”

Xavier begins to walk through his flat. The first thing I notice about his space is that by Monaco standards, it’s big. Right from where I’m standing, I can see he has a panoramic view of the Mediterranean. The living room is drenched in afternoon sunlight. I pass by a large ivory-coloured sectional sofa and glass-topped black metal coffee table, and my eyes land on a gorgeous rendering of the Las Vegas strip hanging on the wall. I tear my gaze away from it and follow Xavier down a hallway into his suite.

“The bedroom,” he says, pushing open the door for me to enter first.

I repress a smile as I step inside. There are a lot of women who would love to be with Xavier in his bedroom, enjoying this large bed with luxurious-looking all-white linens.

And be enjoying it with him.

But me? I’m excited about seeing his duffel bag collection.

“I have his-and-hers dressing rooms, but I use both as there is no her,” Xavier explains, walking to one of them. “God forbid there is ever a need for a her dressing room.”

Spoken like the paddock playboy, I think with amusement.

“So one is strictly for my clothing and shoes. And this one? It’s only for accessories,” he announces dramatically, flipping on the light.

Once again, he steps aside so I can enter first. Hmm. He might be the biggest playboy in Formula 1, but he’s definitely a gentleman when it comes to manners.

“Thank you,” I say, stepping inside. “Oh wow!”

“Right?” Xavier says, coming in behind me.

I stare at the room in awe. I could never imagine a driver being so into accessories, but this is like stepping inside a luxury boutique! The walk-in space is filled with black bespoke cabinetry, with each custom space housing a luxury duffel, bag, or backpack. The lighting is designed so each shelf is illuminated. The floor is covered with soft grey carpeting, and there’s a black lacquer and glass display in the middle of the room, like you’d find in a department store. I gaze down through the top and see bracelets and high-end watches staring back at me, along with a collection of designer belts, each one rolled up and put in a specific space.

“The drawers underneath that top display are sunglasses, ties, socks, stuff like that,” Xavier explains.

“I feel like I’m shopping,” I tease.

“I know. I designed it that way. I like the clean lines and aesthetics of my favourite stores.”

Interesting. “Would you mind talking about that when I record?”