Older cat WANTS to play rough

My first and only cat, Salome, just turned 5 in May. She was 5 months old when I adopted her; a woman had brought her in to the shelter after seeing her around her neighborhood. I've always suspected she was abandoned or lost, because she's very pretty and wasn't a part of a feral family or anything.

Anyway, she was kind of wild and distrustful of everyone the first few days I had her, but quickly warmed up to the humans of the house. Whatever happened to her on the street, it doesn't seem like she ever got a chance to play with other kittens and she's always had a tendency to play too rough. I've handled this the best I can; I know her warning signs, I use toys and not hands, I quit playing when she bites. She's really calmed down a lot over the years and I think generally understands that we don't appreciate sneak ankle grabs and bites. However, it seems like she literally begs me to play with her this way. She tries to escalate our snuggle petting sessions often, making her eyes wide and swishing her tail, she will kind of play stalk me crying these sad little cries. This can go on for 45 minutes or so. I try to give her other toys, emphasize her scratchers, feed her, all kinds of things while making it clear I don't want to play this way. Sometimes she tests the waters with a bite I think is meant to be gentle but she just doesn't have much of a reference for gentle. I obviously quit engaging after that, and she gets pretty bummed out.

She's a very affectionate cat and loves humans. She was bullied badly by a roommate's cats (worst living situation of my life! We quickly got out of that one) a couple years ago and so I've always hesitated with getting another cat, especially since our apartment isn't very large. This whole situation with the begging for rougher play just breaks my heart though! I know she is trying to be respectful of boundaries, but it just leads to a tense situation for everyone, me trying to make sure she doesn't interpret my behaviors as an invitation to pounce, and her trying to get what she wants without hurting me. I really don't ever know what to do here, besides give her a lot of attention when she calms down again.

Sophie sounds adorable and obviously has a very close and trusting bond with you.  How you have handled her high play drive and love of engaging humans in her hunting play seems to have followed most of the advice around in text books and here on TCS in articles so I think you are doing pretty well.  Some cats do seem to love human contact and find it hard not to include physical contact in their play just as they would if they were with other cats - I know Mouse certainly does.  To me the most important things are the learning bite pressure and not using claws, and not playing this way with anyone other than the resident human/s  who know what the rules are and what to expect.

Do you manage to play with her with larger toys or objects / material to maintain distance between you and the teeth and claws?  I have found that Kickeroo size toys and things like medium size fleece throws can make for good targets, as do feather wands as an extension of my arm.  Chase and run games where you take turns following each other also serve a similarly exhausting experience and you can offer the large toy before your arm or leg gets grabbed, or a bit of food to signal the end of the game.  

Of course you may well have tried these already and still found yourself in the clutches of her jaws and paws. If so, keep trying and appreciate all the small milestones and achievements you attain.  I still get bounced on, my shoulders used as stepping stones to higher places, and my head jumped on but I am happy that my boy no longer leaps full body forward belly first at my face when I am either sitting down or standing up.  He comes for cuddles to get attention rather than wrap his jaws round my forearm, and pays attention when I say no about 50% of the time.   Good luck!