Originally Posted by
ladyscribbler 
He knows all the right buttons to push. He's had a decade of practice at manipulating you. Of course he's good at it. Manipulating you has worked for him in the past, so he's trying it again now.
On point. Exactly. He wants something from me that he knows I don't want to give him so he's trying to figure out how to get it from me anyway...manipulating me for his benefit without concern for me. Thanks for pointing this out.