Incredulously, she stared back. ‘You know exactly why. You paid me over double what I was owed!’ she accused.
He raised his eyebrows.'That’s the first time someone’s ever complained that I’ve overpaid them,’ he drawled.
‘Don’t be obtuse, Nikolai—you know exactly what I mean.’
‘No, I don’t. I thought you were good at your job and deserved the extra payment.’
‘What? Or the extra services provided?’
He froze. ‘You think that I’m the kind of man who pays for sex?’
‘Can we keep your ego out of it for a moment? This isn’t about you—it’s about me’, she shot back, swallowing down the intense hurt she still felt at the memory of him waving that wretched envelope at her as if she was some kind of hooker. ‘So why the over-generous gesture, if not for that?’
For a moment he was silent as he battled with his feelings, angry that she was forcing him to offer some kind of explanation—he who never had to explain himself to anyone. ‘I realised that I’d misjudged you,’ he said heavily.'That you were not the woman I thought you to be.’