gabriel-ingraham-blog

[gabriel-ingraham-blog]

so i’m off to thailand and laos for spring break and i’m not bringing my laptop and i’ll have limited internet access overall! i’ll be back on the 25th so please let me know if you want to keep our threads, etc. 

this applies for rafe and gabe! i’m planning on going all out with the plotting and threads upon my return bc... why not.

[gabriel-ingraham-blog]

lacey-lay:

“You seem awfully interested in what I do for someone who says he has a good idea of what I do!” The blonde was amused, very amused with him slowly figuring out what she was doing and yet she felt like he still needed to puzzle some pieces together, or at least connect them properly. “Ever thought about the fact that I just don’t want to be seen with you, with our without a mysterious job?” Lacey finally asked teasingly while she walked with him towards whatever he needed to buy, her own shopping slightly forgotten by now, but she never really got more than essentials, not really truly cooking for herself - ever. 

“I know my worth!” The dancer answered him nonchalantly though the grin on her face was more enough proof that she was joking, at least with him, other men would possibly have to take statements like that very seriously when they came from the blonde. “He wouldn't do that, he’s a dinner guy and a dinner outside of LA kind of guy. Jealous wife or something!” The words left her mouth too quickly, carelessly. Gabriel was quick-witted, making her turn this into a game and that tended to result in her letting things slip for the sake of winning. She inwardly damned herself for a moment, not because of what she gave away about herself, but about the man they had just met - thankfully without any last names. “If you want me in your apartment all you have to do it ask!” Lacey answered coyly but nodded, the idea of a homecooked meal did sound good “Don’t expect me to be any help with the cooking though. And no restrictions whatsoever, I even eat carbs!” 

“What’s wrong with being seen with me?” he questioned back at her, grinning again. He liked the little back and forth game that they were playing and it only made him more intrigued by the gorgeous blonde. “I’d be a jealous wife too if my husband was taking a girl that looked like you out and about. How often do you get the jealous wife phone call or e-mail threatening to fight you or something? Has a wife tried to fight you?” 

Pushing his cart towards the avocados, Gabriel checked them for ripeness before selecting a few large ones. “How many are too many?” he asked her randomly before settling on six of them. “I could’ve just straight up asked you to come home with me but where’s the fun in that?” he teased, continuing to push through the aisles. “I should’ve known... you seem like the lazy type. Do you let the guy do all of the work too?” he shot back, nudging her a little bit. “Feel free to suggest some things though because I can get creative in the kitchen if you let me,” he chuckled. “We might as well pick up a bottle of wine too. Lets really make this special.”

He started to push towards the checkout, seemingly satisfied with everything that he had. “Speak now or forever hold your peace. I wouldn’t be opposed to getting dessert so do with that as you will... unless you have other plans for dessert.”

[gabriel-ingraham-blog]

sofiemcclean:

“You’d think that, but stress has a funny way of weakening resolve. Especially when the party favors are left right under your nose.” Fluttering her lashes, Sofie pushed her hair back and sighed, “Still know how to make a girl feel special.”  Her words were cold and harsh; if she wasn’t here instead of anywhere else, you could stand to believe that she was angry with him when in reality it was herself. Sofie had fallen into a trap and instead of looking for a way out so dug herself deeper until the harshness of her addiction felt less like a fuck up and more like stepping into an old skin that was only slightly too small.

“I don’t want to owe anyone anything, but former addicts have very few bridges to cross in time of need, and I’m in need.” Plucking at the crop top hugging her frame Sofie took notice of the mess she was, trace amounts of blood spattered on heer top; likely a nosebleed she hadn’t caught in time. “Yea, get me a towel.” Kicking off the wall Sofie followed him into a spare room, dropping her bag by the door she leaned in the door frame, “It’s not a lie. I do like it rough." 

Sofie sunk against the door frame looking him up and down, "Instead of questioning what happened to me why not take a shower with me instead?” Sofie posed the question boldly curling her fingers into the straps of her top, “Or I can recount the horror of being choked, finding my roommates fucking and how I got my hands on coke without calling a dealer- that’ll be just as fun as fucking me, right?”

"You are in need,” he agreed with a slow nod as he looked around the guest room to ensure that it was clean. This was a room that he seldom visited but it looked up to par and he just chuckled at her. “How rough?” he inquired further, his eyes drawn to the bruises and scrapes against her. The marks on her neck looked like more of a strangulation than a sensual restriction of air flow... but Gabriel wasn’t exactly a forensic scientist. “Because if you like to get beaten senseless beyond recognition then I don’t know if I can do that for you. Hair-pulling, choking, scratching and a little dirty talk? I’m your guy.” He licked his lips as he said that, moving closer to Sofie.

He considered her proposition for a quick second before nodding in agreement, walking over to her and resting his hand on her hip and bringing her in close. “You’ve convinced me to take a shower with you but that doesn’t mean I don’t want the 411 on the entire story later. This is just an... intermission.” It took a while for him to find the right words to say but his hands moved to play with the straps of her top, eagerly wanting to pull them down. “And don’t think I’m going to forget about what I want.”

He grinned at her, squeezing her behind for a second before starting towards the bathroom. “Bathroom is over here,” he stated, not looking back and expecting her to follow. He turning the faucet, Gabriel waited for the water to heat up before fetching a few towels. “Are you a scented soap kind of girl?” 

[gabriel-ingraham-blog]

babellaby:

    Back at it with the us word - Bella wasn’t sure whether to bristle, or appreciate it. She was a lone wolf, and if what Kitty had said about Gabe was true, so was he. A partnership seemed like destined for disaster, but maybe her eagerness was the result of years fighting tooth and nail alone. “Us?” Bella asked, eyebrow raising. “You act as if I trust you - I know if you got a hold of my secrets, you’d be selling them,” Here, she paused. Letting it sink in, before giving in to what he wanted. “I’m in it to win though. I’m with you.” 

   Getting lucky - little did Gabe know that Bella had accessed the secrets before even speaking to Luca first. He didn’t know she had information on Robbie, on Natalie, on everyone who came her way. She knew things about Sofie the world had never known, she’d been able to get peeks into the little worlds surrounding her. Bigger fish? Bigger targets? Bella’s heart skipped a beat - suddenly, she felt as excited as Gabe seemed, and she bit her lip through the growing smile. “Something small…. Serena Belle, I work for her now. I start soon,” Bella thought out-loud, making a mental list. She’d have more information for him soon. “How exactly does this happen between us, then? Are you training me - or do I report back to you? If I go rogue and end up better at this… think you can take me down?” She smiled, teeth once more appearing over her lip. 

   She liked making him squirm - when she could. 

She was not wrong with her accusation but Gabe was doing everything in his power to convince her that she had nothing to worry about. Extending a soft smile to her and taking it on like he a role, he hoped that he was believable. “You know that I wouldn’t sell you out,” he reaffirmed. “If I was, I wouldn’t have let you known this much. Do you not understand the definition of a symbiotic relationship? You’re the one with the fancy college degree.” His tone was teasing but he was definitely challenging the blonde. 

“Serena Belle? That’s definitely an interesting one. Try to find out about the custody battle... maybe it’ll get nasty. Maybe she’ll hire you to get some dirt on her ex husband,” he grinned at the idea. “Those are the best clients. The vindictive and hurt ones who are in the heat of passion. They’ll pay so much money just to get back at somebody who hurt them. It was one of my first big paying jobs.” The memory was still fresh in his head and the payout from that produced such a cerebral high that he couldn’t stop. “Lets consider it a partnership,” he suggested. He was intending to keep the specifics of their relationship rather vague so that he could amend them to his liking, but the actor was unsure if Bella would agree to that.

“I know I can.” His confidence was evident, looking over the petite blonde once more. “You’re still making rookie mistakes, Bella. You didn’t even check if I was wearing a wire or something. You confided to me in my own home, which can easily be bugged or something. Rule one is plausible deniability. You need to always have an alibi and ensure you do not get caught in any crossfire. Maybe I do need to be your higher-up because you just might fuck this up. Another tip? When it comes to photos, always exchange them via USB drive. Never an e-mail and never a cell phone.” With that said, he turned to walk towards his fridge. “Is that all or do you have something else to report to me?” he asked from the kitchen, a carton of almond milk in hand. 

[gabriel-ingraham-blog]

sofiemcclean:

Sofie twirled her fingers into her hair while looking up at him with wide, dead eyes, “Something like that, but hey when someone offers you something to take the edge off what are you supposed to do? Take the drugs that make you bigger or the ones that make you smaller?” Sofie hummed half incoherently tilting her head while looking around his place, running her fingers over almost everything she passed, “I think I took whatever it is that makes you so much smaller.” She replied sadly turning to face him with her back against the wall, “I’m still hot tho right?” She spoke sarcasm dripping from her lips while running her fingers through her tangled hair and sighing.

“Oh?” She replied her fingers were moving gingerly towards her neck, “These? ” She asked closing her eyes tightly before facing him to answer “I like rough sex.” She shrugged, it was a blatant lie but not one she felt like explaining, “Sorry I won’t be swallowing anything for a while…” Her nose twitched, and she sniffled fighting back her emotions, “I just need a place to crash for a couple of days while I figure out my next move- I can pay you or whatever. I just can’t stand being around the Lakes and their nanny a second longer.”

“-I mean if I was somebody who just came out of rehab I’d probably reject it.” He knew that it was easier said than done, but it couldn’t help his confusion. There was a lot to process and the actor was stupefied. Eyes were drawn to every scratch and bruise against her formerly flawless skin and he struggled to find out what to say next. He was drawn to how vulnerable she looked but just gave her a stoic look. “You’re still hot,” he confirmed.

“You really want to owe me a favor?” he asked, his voice piquing at the offer. She seemed like she had no other choice, bringing a smile to Gabriel’s face. “Well thankfully I don’t have much of a swallow requirement but you can crash in the guest bedroom,” he explained, suddenly thankful for his two bedroom apartment. “You don’t need to pay me. Just know that you owe me in the future,” he acknowledged, glancing at her again. “Do you want a towel or something? You should really clean yourself up. Take a shower actually. I have something you can probably wear.” 

He turned and started to walk towards one of the bedrooms, expecting her to follow. He pushed open the door to the bedroom which was nothing but a made bed and a nightstand. “So did you really expect me to buy that story?” 

[gabriel-ingraham-blog]

lacey-lay:

“Oh do you?” The blonde asked laughing a little “Well I sure can put in a good word for you with John, get you a good deal - like you just said, this is an expensive city!” And God had it been expensive at the beginning of her time in LA. The first club she had danced in had barely paid the bills. Oh, how times had changed.  When he questioned if she maybe was just an incredibly gorgeous law student who likes to play games she grinned, maybe this could have actually been how things would have gone if she had not found out just how much easier life could be, and how more exciting, than being at a university and spending all her time in the library. “I told you what I do the first time we met, you asked me if I’d go out with you or if my schedule is too tight for that. I told you I work at a club and therefore most nights are in fact, booked..!” Lacey actually did not feel that she was as mysterious as he made her sound, she had given him plenty of ideas and little hints and while he was constantly close - had had not yet figured it out completely. “I refused to be in your snapchat story because I think some things should stay private and also because yes, in fact, I like a mystery. Wouldnt it be boring to always know everything about everyone?” 

“I still think you are stalking me, not vice versa!” She argued laughing but there was no reason for them not to finish this shopping trip together. “Fine, I’ll help you and you treat me for lunch after!” The blonde stated, no question asked. There was something about his curiosity, his hunger for answers that not only entertained her but also intrigued her and she was sure that there were plenty of interesting things to find about him as well!” 

“You think I have a bad memory or something? I know exactly what you said and I think I have a good idea of what you do... I just know there are some dancers who do some extracurricular activities on the side.” He decided to not outright say stripper, but he was still curious and had an insatiable desire to learn more about the blonde. “I’ve ran into enough of them during my starving artists days. They’d just accompany some old man to dinner and then suddenly they’d have the money for rent they didn’t have earlier. They, however, would appear in my Snapchat stories.” He let out a chuckle at that, starting to push his cart towards the avocadoes.

“Lets just mutually agree that this is more than just a coincidence,” he offered, eyebrow raised at her demand. “You’re a demanding one, huh? I think you have me confused for John. I think he wants to buy you lunch,” Gabriel added, craning his neck to see if he could still see the man skulking around. He didn’t spot him so he assumed the other left or was just hiding away in one of the aisles. “I suppose that I can treat you to lunch. How about a home-cooked one? I am grocery shopping after all,” he explained, moving his hand to showcase the cart. “Do you have any dietary restrictions?” he asked, trying to think of a recipe. “I make this amazing chickpea, feta and avocado salad.”

[gabriel-ingraham-blog]

sofiemcclean:

She was in a desperate need of an out, the longer she was surrounded by the mess of everything the more apparent it became that Sofie couldn’t stay at the Lake’s house anymore. It should have been an easy thought to pack a bag and go find Annabel, but despite her far gone state Sofie didn’t want her sister involved in this, she didn’t want more people than necessary to know about her little slide into relapse barely a month after exiting rehab. 

Burning bridges came easily when you were blitzed, and Sofie wasn’t sure who’d she call, Clement would surely just tell Kat about it the moment she showed up, pupils blown, looking like she stepped out of a hurricane. She needed to go somewhere the house was made of glass and the person inside couldn’t throw rocks and wouldn’t try and make her call her sponsor. She wasn’t ready to be done, not when every time a come down teetered she felt like she couldn’t breathe like the world would flip inside out and swallow her whole. 

Taking the bag of things she owned and Baby, Sofie made her way to Gabe’s, flipping her hair over her shoulder she knocked on the door to be let in, and once the door opened, she forced a dead-eyed smile, “Gonna let me in, I brought party favors.” Sofie’s voice was hoarse and low as she looked him up and down expectantly.

@gabriel-ingraham

Time was passing by all too quickly for Gabriel Ingraham. With him engrossing himself in work for the past week, he had yet to have any excitement in his life. Aside from an evening drink with a friend or a catch-up dinner, he was completely dry on the drama and gossip. When he heard that knock at his door and opened it, he realized that he had spoken too soon. “Holy shit.” Those were the only words that the actor could formulate at the sight of Sofie McClean completely out of it. He wasn’t sure what gave it away - her pupils, her demeanor or her voice. He was definitely familiar with this kind of high and he sighed as he pulled her inside and shut the door, half hoping that paparazzi spotted her late night at his apartment complex.

“You look a fucking mess. Didn’t you just come back from fucking rehab?” he said, more bewildered than angry with her. He had thought about her not being up to keep up with sobriety, but he didn’t think it’d happen this soon. While he was still intrigued by her offer of party favors, he still felt curious about the scratches and bruises on her. “I don’t think you need any more party favors. It looks like you got quite a few of them,” he said, moving towards her slowly and inspecting her even closely.

“What the fuck happened? Do you need like...” he didn’t want to say the police because he knew how ineffective they’d be. “SVU or something?” he asked, still unsure. This was something written out of a Law & Order SVU script and he didn’t know how to deal with it in reality. He didn’t even think Sofie liked him enough to do this.

[gabriel-ingraham-blog]

libbyfox:

Date. The word hit her in the stomach, twisting almost immediately. Date. It was only four letters and seemed to stumble out of his mouth for what felt like eternity. Libby couldn’t remember the last time someone asked her out on a date - probably because it never happened. She was a lone wolf. Work was her everything and before that school was her everything. Her heart-beat a little faster and her stomach was fluttering. Who knew one word could cause such a tizzy? “Date.” She repeated the word as if it was completely foreign to her.  The brunette let her internal thought process calm down. She could survive one date. She could handle that.  Libby nodded slowly. “Um, sure. It could be a date.” She let her eyes bat a couple of times as she was still trying to process it all.

She hesitated after he asked and he leaned back, wondering if he had put it on a little too strong. “Date.” He repeated the word back to her in confirmation. “Have you never been on a date...?” he asked, rather unsure about her dating history. She seemed so bewildered at the idea that he couldn’t really tell.

Reaching for his pen and pad, he started to scribble his phone number down. He squinted one last time to make sure his handwriting was legible enough before tearing the piece of paper up. “Text me whenever you’re free, Libby. Then we can set everything up,” he said as he placed the note on her desk and flashed her a smile. “See you then?” he said before gathering his things and making his way towards the exit. In his eyes, the meeting went pretty well.

[gabriel-ingraham-blog]

lacey-lay:

“There is never just one way to indulge!” The blonde answered matter of factly though her face showed a telling little smirk before she broke into a laugh. The idea of him actually running over an old woman, quite literally, was something she honestly could not help but imagine it. “I do not believe that you would possibly beat me though, you’ve got to prove that some time!” But there was no way to actually continue that conversation with the impromptu interruption. There were certain customers with whom Lacey was much rather not connected privately and if that meant pretending she had a boyfriend when it came to them she would. It was a bit of a surprise how well Gabriel was playing along - for some reason it surprised her while on the other hand, she should have expected him to do it if it meant she’d answer him a question, that’s what she had offered him to begin with. 

“I am interesting?” Lacey asked grinning at his choice of words although she was well aware of what he meant and it was true, whenever he was around it seemed that something was happening. “Try your luck, how about that?” She asked when he asked how many questions she’d answer, but while he did admit to wanting to keep this interesting and yet his first question made her raise her brows at him “Was John a John? His name certainly is John, if that’s what you are asking?” The stripper asked innocently, a smirk on her face before she pursed her lips “If you ever need a good lawyer you should remember him!” She added before she shook her head “If you are asking me if he’s someone I am sleeping with for money though? Well, I should be mad at you for alluding to it, but no, no he’s not that kind of John!” 

It wasn’t hard to act like an overprotective boyfriend - it was a role that he had played a few times and it didn’t take much effort on his part. Watching the man move further away from them, he nodded at Lacey’s question. “You know I’m not a betting man,” he said with a chuckle. It was true - he had a few vices but gambling was not one of them. 

She was still being vague and coy and it was only intriguing him a little bit more, Gabriel sliding closer to the blonde with a grin. “Well I am actually looking for a lawyer. I’m not sure if your profession deals with contracts other than the NDA kind, but they can get pretty tense,” he teased, grabbing a hold of his cart. “Don’t be mad at me, I think it’s a fair question. This is an expensive city... I’ve known plenty of people who’ve done it. I’d never judge. Then is he just your lawyer? Are you just an incredibly gorgeous law student who likes playing games with me?” he asked as he started to push his cart. “No but seriously, are you ever going to tell me what you do and why you refuse to be seen in my Snapchat story? Or do you like the mystery, Lacey?” That’s all he had to her identity - a first name that he didn’t quite believe.

“If you’re going to keep stalking me then you should at least help me get some shopping done. I’ve been craving avocado for the longest time and I really want to buy my weights worth of avocado,” he joked, checking if one was ripe before starting to put a few of them into a plastic bag. 

[gabriel-ingraham-blog]

babellaby:

Eyes narrowing, Bella watched as Gabe lit up, his words jumping around in excitement. She couldn’t relate to his elation, though the promise of stacks of bills did sound promising. Her eyes followed him closely, though she was uncharacteristically quiet. The words she’d once scoffed at now further irritated her. Did she really have what it took? Bella straightened, giving a confident nod at his words. The friendship she once had had already ended - she didn’t want to go back. Besides… it was his fingers on that burner. Bella had plenty of backup stories if this went south. It wasn’t her fault she left her phone unlocked and he saw.

  Finally, her calculating smile returned, a bit of her former fire meeting those blue eyes again. “I must be pretty good at this then, if my first try is a big payout,” She mused, standing to come and look over his shoulder at what he was texting. Now, Bella was back in game-mode, watching and learning. That was her tactic. Pay attention well enough to do better than the experienced master. After a moment, Bella shrugged a shoulder. “Luca who?” She replied, showing she felt no guilt or regret for coming to him with the sensitive information. 

   “I want a business phone, too,” Bella decided, eyes watching his flying fingers, already trying to plan her way into the scheme, but safely. Her chin rested on his shoulder, an eyebrow rasing at the amount of contacts he reached out too. “Goddamn, is Kai Owens seriously that high in demand? If information about him and some nobody is this hot - imagine what I could drag to your doorstep next. Guess you shouldn’t have doubted me, hmm?” 

“Are you pretty good... or did you get lucky?” Gabriel questioned her with a stoic face, sending another message on the phone. Although he knew that she had what it took, he still wanted to see her work for it. The informant role was something that consumed much of his time, having to keep profiles of almost everybody in Hollywood and constantly be cognizant of who was watching him. “I just want to remind you how difficult this life can be. Once you start doing this, you can’t trust anybody else. There’s only us now.”

He nodded at her request. “I can get you one in a couple of days. You need to be very careful about who you give that number to though. I typically try to change it every now and again... but definitely not too frequently,” he advised, thinking of it. He just ditched it for another phone when he got an eerie feeling. “Kai Owens is one of the hottest things in the news right now. Especially after the sex tape when there is still a little bit of buzz around his name? But yeah I’m impressed by your abilities... but didn’t you already have a connection with Luca?” he inquired.

“The most impressive ones are the cold calls. The hard to read people. The ones that you start an entire friendship with just to know how they think. Just to gain their trust and betray them in the worst way. Those ones are the most fun,” he said with a rather evil smile. “They’re long and intense and take a lot of acting but it can be a fun project. It’s like being an entirely different person.” There were people that Gabe had done this to in the past, and there were people that he was currently doing this with. “But now that you’re here... let’s start thinking long-term. I can probably have some cold, hard cash from this in like two days. But beyond that? You need to start thinking of people that you can get dirt on and do some research. Start small if you need to.”

[gabriel-ingraham-blog]

lacey-lay:

“Oh and what exactly is fate trying to tell us?” Lacey asked grinning at his words, already having a feeling what his answer might be, but curious none the less. His opinion on the peanut butter made her scrunch up her nose a little, but there was still a smirk on her face “For indulgence? I think that’s generally why chocolate exists!” The blonde exclaimed before she looked at him teasingly “But I get it, if I were you I’d probably leave the chocolate away too, if I remember correctly I am a better runner than you after all!” 

When he questioned how small the city actually is she couldn’t help but nod. For how large LA seemingly was, circles seemed to be small and it was generally rather common to see people out and about that one would recognise. “You wish I was stalking you, don’t you?” The blonde asked teasingly, tempted to stick her tongue out at the man in front of him but before she was able to do so, she heard a familiar, but rather unpleasant male voice calling out her name. Talking about running into people and talking about her customers not necessarily being people to go shopping for themselves - well not the important one - that much was for sure, but that did not make it any less annoying. “I’ll owe you after this!” Lacey groaned out in a lowe voice towards Gabe before she turned towards the man who had called out her name with a soft smile on her lips. “John, what a surprise, its good to see you!” The words were flowing over lips, her voice sickly sweet before she turned towards Gabe again, her body leaning closer to him. “Babe, that’s John, John my boyfriend Gabriel, you two haven’t met yet, have you?” Of course, they had not met, why would they? Even if she was dating Gabriel she’d not introduce him to any customer, but she knew this was the easiest way to make the other man shuffle away as quickly as possible, not wanting to get her into any difficult situation and just like she had predicted it, the older man rather quickly excused himself and shuffled off after awkwardly shaking her ‘boyfriends’ hand and wishing them a good day which resulted in Lacey backing off from Gabriel’s body again. “How many questions will you make me answer now?” 

“I prefer to indulge in other ways, Lacey,” he said, his voice flirtatious and his eyes meeting hers. “You think your faster but I just let myself get distracted. I’m sure if we had a rematch right now, I’d smoke you. But the last thing I’m trying to do is knock down a ninety year old woman sprinting full speed down the aisle of a Downtown L.A. Whole Foods.” It didn’t exactly sound like the best headline for a budding actor. He was surprised by what happened next - Lacey always found a way to keep him on his toes about her and her life. He just nodded at her offer of owing him and went right along with the plan. “Nope, we haven’t met,” he said, playing along with a smile and extending his hand to the guy in an extra-friendly fashion. He was taking on the part like a role and was nailing it. The other seemed to relax at his grip, perceiving him as a friendly guy. That’s when he squeezed the other’s hand and offered him a death glare. “Glad to meet you,” he said through gritted teeth, hoping that he was intimidating the older man. 

Drawing his hand away successfully, he watched as the man shuffled away. “You never fail to surprise me, Lacey. First the phone call, now this. I’m usually not one to pry but you’re very interesting,” he started, drawing his finger to his chin as he considered what questions to ask. “It depends on how many questions you’re willing to answer. But I also like the enigmatic idea that I have of you. I feel like if I know for sure, it might ruin your allure.” Sometimes keeping things vague and through blurred lines kept things exciting, and he felt that it was the case with him and the blonde’s relationship. “So was John an actual john?” he asked, knowing that the other recognized the slang term. 

[gabriel-ingraham-blog]

libbyfox:

Libby had become much better about handing work off to her empolyees. When she first started she had her hand in every pot here. She worked with every client that came in the door. Now it was much different. Now she still did the first consultant, but then she usually delegated the work to one of her reps. “Well, I can set you up with someone here. Once they’ve had a look at all your stuff they can tell you specifically the track you’ll be put on. We’ve done tons of research on how to boost engagement and those are certainly things we can work on.  All you have to know is we aren’t magic. You have to put in the work as much as we do.”

Her brows furrowed as he mentioned dinner. She didn’t really know what he meant by it nor did she want to assume anything. “Dinner?” Her voice peeked as she questioned. “Like a work dinner?”

He nodded as he scribbled the final note in the padfolio before placing his pen down. “That’s great news to hear. Hopefully I get enough engagement that I can start doing something that makes another revenue stream. I’ve always wanted to explore some merchandise but that’s definitely something to talk about more intently down the line... but just know that I’m willing to put in the work. Respond to some fans, be consistent with my posting,” he listed off a few things that he had came across in personal research. She probably had more useful tips too.

His entire demeanor shifted at the mention of the dinner, smiling a little more and leaning back in his chair to show that he was more relaxed. “I mean it can be a work dinner if you want. You can keep talking about as much tech stuff as you want. I’m an active listener,” he explained. “But I like to work hard and play a little harder so I was actually hoping that it’d be a play dinner. Y’know... like a date,” he said, finally slipping the word in there. He was intrigued by the tech genius and was begging to know more.

[gabriel-ingraham-blog]

tash-taylor:

“Can I be honest again? I’ve never had ginger beer either” she said with a sheepish shrug of her shoulders. Her experimentation with alcohol was very short lived, the experience of a monster hangover was enough to deter her from diving deeper. Oh she definitely would need a chaster, the last shot she had without one was Patron and it was a regret she’d live with for the rest of her life.

“A fun ass night? Yeah, I like that!” The clink of their glasses was brief and soon the burn of whatever vodka they had was sliding down her throat. Immediately Tasha’s face twisted up in disgust, a laugh somehow escaping her throat before she grabbed a glass of orange juice to hopefully take the taste away. “That was terrible” she yelled over the music “why would you want to do another one?” Her question was more rhetorical than anything, she understood the reasoning but man did it taste bad.

“No wreaking havoc, I don’t want to end up on TMZ tomorrow. But, we should go dance!” she exclaimed, grabbing his hand in earnest before making her way towards the dance floor. The guards let them out of the VIP section with no problem and soon they were among the growing crowd. While the high was nothing compared to performing live, the buzz Tasha got while dancing was infectious. Hundreds of people moving to the same beat, some high out of their minds, others completely wasted, and some just going with the flow; they were all pressed together in a sweating and magical haze.

"I want to do another one because we’re here to have fun,” he insisted, the burn in his throat from the alcohol still present. He didn’t care as he poured another shot, knowing that one more would have him in a good place for a while. He threw it back quickly, sipping orange juice again. “I’d try to get you to do another but I think you’re in a good place for now. Plus, the alcohol isn’t going anywhere.” He shook the bottle with a small grin, wanting to show how much was left in it.

“You’re not going to end up on TMZ,” he reassured her as he followed her out onto the dance floor. “If you do, at least you’ll be spotted with a handsome mystery man that the paparazzi can’t identify.” It was easy for Gabriel to start to get his rhythm with the liquor moving through his veins. He was absorbed by the energy of the dance floor and the strobe lights, packed closely with the other patrons of the club. He swayed his hips from side to side and bobbed his head to whatever recent club hit that this was - he wasn’t quite sure of the name of the song or the singer. “You’re quite the dancer. Do you do your own choreography?” he asked, half-teasing but half curious. “Are you planning to party a lot on tour?” he asked, trying to segue the conversation somewhere where he could get a story or something out of here. “Any wild party experiences on tour before?”

[gabriel-ingraham-blog]

lacey-lay:

@gabriel-ingraham

Grocery Shopping was one of those tedious things that Lacey only did at the minimum. Most days consisted of some salad or wraps bought somewhere and yoghurt or smoothies, not a big cook and not really interested in learning currently. But even smoothies and yoghurt had to be bought and despite absolutely hating the act of grocery shopping, Whole Foods had the tendency to leave people buying more than what they need and ravel at things such as the fresh peanut butter grinder or the salad mixing bars. With a half bun, no make-up, some yoga pants and a low cut top Lacey wasn’t exactly dressed to impress but for all, she knew about those clients of hers that truly mattered - they weren’t the types of guys to actually go shopping for themselves. Now what she did not think about, not expect though was to run into someone who was not a client, but someone who she seemed to keep running into. 

Stepping up behind Gabriel she didn't make herself noticeable at all, the only thing to announce her actual presence (besides perhaps her perfume) was the question that would next leave her mouth “Peanut butter with or without freshly ground chocolate chips?” 

Whole Foods was almost a second home to Gabriel. He was somebody who shopped minimally multiple times a week rather than once a week - he liked the variety and he could always pick up something he needed. He almost had the store committed to memory, knowing exactly where to go for certain things. He was shocked by the question coming from behind him, immediately recognizing the voice but turning around anyway. “We keep running into each other. I think fate is trying to tell us something,” he led with, glancing at the random bag of trail mix that he was considering before throwing it into the basket.

“I say without the chocolate chips those. All those extra calories and carbs for what? The peanut butter is amazing enough on its own. One of my guilty pleasures actually.” He motioned towards the large tub of freshly ground peanut butter in his cart, chuckling. “But seriously... I’m starting to think you’re stalking me or something. How small is this city?”

[gabriel-ingraham-blog]

babellaby:

    “It’s Jade, Sterling, and Opal, actually,” Bella corrected, protective over the shoulder. Her teeth sunk into the inside of her cheek - time off. That would be the issue. But still… Coachella. “Yeah, I can get the time off. They don’t own me,” She said, meaning for it to be a joke - but realizing as the words fell that they did, really, own her. “Star is a cute name though.” 

   Though she’d never admit it out loud, Bella liked his confidence - it reminded her of the guys from her highschool, and even in UCLA. Everyone she’d came across in L.A. so far, outside of him and maybe Robbie, always acted too much like they had something to prove. Hell, maybe Gabe was just better at hiding that being an actor, but Bella enjoyed it. She smiled, her breath hot on his lips hovering not even an inch from hers, teasing his lower lip with the tip of her tongue. It was an invitation, and she ignored his words - they weren’t here to talk, not anymore. And this time, despite the drink of wine, Bella was far from drunk. She’d been wasted for their hook-up at the college frat party, and alcohol always lessened her performance. 

   Bella in this state would blow him away, she was confident in that. Their egos were both large, but justified. She kissed him back, teeth eagerly tugging lightly at his lips. She was anything but soft and delicate when she got turned on, and she leaned her neck back as his mouth moved to it. “Why not both?” Her reply was a whisper, hungry. If Gabe thought only once would satisfy her… he was very wrong. 

The way their lips moved together was harmonious, much better than what he could remember of their last hook-up. He was in a drunken stupor when they had first made out and he was making sure that he remembered everything this time, tongue exploring every crevice of her mouth. Gabe offered a gentle bite against her lips as the kiss got more heated, maintaining her position on his lap.

“Both,” he nodded in agreement, grinding his hips upwards against her and moving his lips to her neck. He considered getting arrogant and asking her if she could handle both... but he wasn’t sure if he could. He hadn’t seen this side of Bella before and it was invigorating. Every move that she made only turned him on more, lips moving from her lips to her neck to her collarbone. There was no fear from the actor in marking her up, sucking against her skin harshly as one hand started to move to the small of her back. 

[gabriel-ingraham-blog]

catsmeow-kitty:

Kitty stumbled out of the club with him at her side; the promise of teaching him pilates still fresh on her lips, a smile that wouldn’t falter pressing dimples into her cheeks. Nodding Kitty nuzzled her face into his neck enjoying the warmth and familiarity he offered her. She only peeled her face away when he nudged her talking about someone wanting her picture. Craning her head towards the photographers Kitty waved in their direction, “Do they or is it the up and coming actor I’m going home with?” She hummed feeding his ego; Kitty slid her fingers along the side of his face tilting her chin up at him she slowly pressed her lips to his. 

Her heart hummed in her chest, a reminder of what had pulled her to him in the first place, an indescribable feeling that didn’t make sense not when everything else he did drove her insane. At least they were good at this. “Tell me the uber is almost here- I want to get you home.”

“You’re right... I am an up and coming actor,” he repeated back to her with a small smile, pulling her closer and kissing her back. He didn’t care that they were in public, ignoring the flash of the paparazzi and focusing on the way his and Kitty’s lips meshed together.

“It’s here,” he finally mumbled when their lips parted for a brief moment, pulling her towards the curb when he saw the black car waiting for them. He glanced at his phone and the license plate to confirm before pulling open the door and stumbling inside of the car. He couldn’t deny that he was a little drunk but all he wanted in this moment was Kitty’s body against him. “C’mere,” he said when the door was closed and the car started. He was all over her again, barely giving the driver a greeting.

[gabriel-ingraham-blog]

libbyfox:

Amazing felt like a strong word to use. It implied she was doing something awe inspiring. In actuality she was just using math, science, basic knowledge and a whole lot of research to make people more accessible. In actuality anyone could do what she was doing with the right tools. Perhaps that wasn’t amazing at all. The brunette smiled trying her best to not let all her blood rush to her cheeks. The darker hue of her face kept the blush hidden. “So I know a bunch of people at Instagram and Snapchat and what we could do is get a branded sponsorship for you. We can partner with those companies - having them spotlight you through events or different things those companies themselves do. Once we gain a larger audience we can then expand from there.”

“A branded sponsorship? That’s what I’m talking about.” It was hard for his face not to match how he was feeling, his excitement and arrogance very prominent. He continued to write as he followed along with what she was saying. He had few questions because it all seemed so straightforward... but execution would be another thing. “Yes, tell your engineer friends at Instagram that I need way more of my posts pushed to the Explore page. They must have changed something because I’ve been getting so many less likes lately. Do you do anything with boosting engagement specifically on Instagram or is that something I should go to somebody else about?” he asked rather curiously, tapping his pen against the pad. He was already more than satisfied with what the other was doing. 

“Sometimes I wish I went to college. Acting is one thing but I’d save so much money if I could do the finances, management, bookings and branding all on my own. I doubt I’d have to time to all of those if my career really takes off but I’m serious about wanting to learn more about the business side of things.” His lips curved up into a smile. “You should teach me more about it sometime. Maybe over dinner.”