"Mm, by using 'hard to get' are we putting the words in the wrong order?" The question was coupled with a mischievous look. In the right mood, TJ liked teasing. He liked it even more when it was just another form of foreplay. But, with Travis, it sometimes seemed like a negotiation, neither one quite sure of where boundaries were...or if boundaries even existed any longer.
"And here I thought I was putting out the idea that a little soreness in the ass the next morning was a good thing."
Snorting softly once again, TJ shook his head. Travis kept trying to paint this picture of him as someone with the potential to be a good man, but TJ knew past precedent was against him on that one. Smiling softly he brushed his fingers along Travis' jaw. "I was manipulating people to get what I wanted from a young age and never thought it was a bad thing. I'm not a politician because I don't have the thick skin for the business, not because I'm above things like blackmail. You seem to be the exception to a lot of rules because I like you. But, I think you're going to be disappointed some day when I don't turn out to be as good a man as you think I am."
TJ sighed, wishing it was as simple as Travis made it sound. "They're my parents, Travis. I want them to be proud of me. But, I think you're wrong about them. They won't approve of anything less than what they've deemed acceptable. No matter how successful The Dome was, they never would have approved. It was a solid plan. I spent three months working on the proposal and Dad wouldn't even read it. They passed judgement before even hearing me out. I never had as much trouble staying clean in the club as I did at home, but they'd written me off before we even left the house for the opening. It's not that people don't matter. If people didn't matter, public appearances wouldn't mean a damn thing, either. It's that they're my family and they have never been there to support any venture I've attempted. When I intend to impress, I want everyone impressed. But, there are only I few I want to make proud of me. Sean? Sean was just the straw that broke the camel's back that night, the final nail in the coffin. Something unfinished."