After Dre had figured out the schedule with the manager of the Backstreet Boys he came back to find Regina making friends.
“Ah hell no, this ain’t happening!” Dre said shaking his head.
“Yeah it is, and guess who we’re playing poker with tonight?” Marshall asked with a grin.
“No, please tell me she didn’t,” Dre groaned.
“She did,” Marshall laughed.
“Why didn’t you stop her?” Dre asked frustrated.
“You try stopping Regina in doing something she wants to do, I ain’t looking forward to it either, but get this, she wants them to sing on the album too,” Marshall replied, watching as Dre dropped his head and took a deep breath.
“It’s going to be a long ass fucking week,” Dre replied, “A long ass week.”
That night Regina briefed her guys on what they were allowed to say and not to say.
“No boy band jokes, or shit like that, just be nice all right, it’s one night, you’ll all live,” Regina said as she answered the knock on the door.
“Hey guys, how you doing, come on in, we got tons of food, I ordered up everything that your manager said you weren’t allowed to have!” Regina laughed.
“All right, so introduce us to the Backstreet Bitches,” Proof said and Regina smacked him in the back of the head.
“Watch it, one more word and I’ll cut off the Real World reruns,” Regina said sharply.
“All right, you all know Marshall, guys, this is Dre, Ace, Proof, Kon, Swifty, Kuniva, Bizarre, my guys, this is Brian, Nick, Kevin, Howie and AJ, make yourselves at home, I’ll grab the cards!” Regina went to her room and got the cards and when she came out, everyone was standing stock-still, no one moving, no one talking.
“I made them all take showers, so I know they can’t be stanking,” Regina said making them all laugh.
“Come on,” she said grabbing Nick and Howie by the wrists, “the only person they bite is me, they rest they just bark at.”
“All right, Kuniva you deal!” Regina called throwing the cards at Kuniva as she finally got everyone sitting around the table.
“Yo Reggie, where’s the beer!” Kon asked looking around the food carts.
“We ain’t got any, it’s a dry event. There’s soda over there,” Regina called as she picked up her cards.
“What the hell is a poker game without some booze?” Bizarre asked.
“One that respects all the people participating, that’s what,” Regina replied not looking up from her cards. AJ sat one seat away from her, Brian sitting between them.
“You can drink in front of me, I have a little more self control than that,” AJ replied dryly.
“They can live one night without boozeing it up,” Regina said again, still not looking up from her cards.
“You don’t have to pretend to be nice about it,” AJ snapped.
“Look, what I did, throwing the JD at you, wasn’t fair, and it wasn’t right. I’m not wrong often, but when I am, I admit it. I’m sorry, that was wrong, I’m calling truce,” Regina said as put her cards down and put out a hand. AJ glanced at it but didn’t move.
“Come on man, she’s trying,” Howie said with a shake of his head.
“Yeah dude, least you can do is call it with her,” Marshall said annoyed.
“Why you doing this?” AJ asked confused.
“Cause maybe I know what it’s like,” Regina replied, her hand still extended in front of Brian.
“Yeah, right,” AJ shook his head and went back to his cards.
“Try two years on coke, two months rehab, been clean seven years, but that doesn’t make it any easier. You’re working on what, year four, right?” Regina asked. Brian stood up and pulled his chair out of the way.
“Here you go,” Brian shoved AJ right next to Regina. He looked up at her from behind the sunglasses.
“You too huh?”
“Yeah, so what do you say, you stop calling my man an asshole, and I’ll stop telling you to stop smoking, deal?” Regina’s hand had remained in front of her, always her gesture at peace.
“All right, cool,” AJ gave her hand a hearty shake and Regina said,
“Now let me teach you boys how to play poker!”
A couple hours into the game, everyone had loosened up considerably, even the shyest of the group, Brian was telling stories and laughing.
“Hey, I got an idea, can’t drink, I’ve got just the thing,” Regina said jumping up in the middle of a hand.
“Yo grab some of those wings on yo way back!” Kon called.
“I ain’t a fucking a waitress no more Kon, get’m yourself!” Regina retorted as she trotted to the bedroom.
“How the hell can she run in those damn heels?” AJ remarked and laughed.
“Beyond me, that’s all she friggen wears, though I’m sure Em doesn’t mind, do ya Em?” Dre asked.
“Why do you think I wear them?” Regina said in a sexy voice.
“Oh, hey Reggie,” Dre said with a grin.
“I hear everything. Never underestimate a woman in six-inch heels boys, it could be dangerous,” Regina replied holding up a cigar box.
“Now where did you get those?” Proof asked.
“Mi Tio Mofeta, in Barcelona, saw our video and sent me these, a box of the finest Spanish cigars,” Regina replied taking one out and handing the box to AJ.
“Your what in where?” Bizarre asked.
“Yo Bizzy, learn some Spanish, my Uncle Skunk from Barcelona, the city,” Regina replied clipping the end of the cigar and tossing it to AJ as he passed the box onto Brian.
“Your Uncle Skunk?” Swifty asked.
“Nickname.”
“All right, fine, I’ll smoke one, but if you rat me out Kevin,” Brian started.
“Oh you think I want to you to tell Kristen I was smoking?” Kevin asked as Kuniva handed him the box.
“I never pictured you for one to smoke,” Marshall said looking over at Regina puffing on the cigar.
“You kidding, I used to play with my Abuelo and Papi and uncles all the time, soon as I was eighteen I was smoking cigars,” Regina laughed grabbing an ashtray and knocking the ashes off the end.
“Damn, now these are nice,” Swifty remarked sitting back and blowing out some smoke. After a minute of everyone getting their cigars lit and puffing, one by one all eyes turned to Regina.
“Yes?” she asked holding up her cigar and looking around. “Something bothering ya’ll?”
“Nothing, now we know why Em’s so happy all the time,” Dre replied. Nick sputtered and coughed into his drink as did Howie.
“Ah, I see, you think, that because I’m sucking on a cigar, that I suck his, dick, all the time, well, here’s a news flash, I don’t,” Regina blew some smoke into Dre’s face and kicked back.
“Yeah, that’s not what you’ll be saying later,” Marshall laughed.
“Suck your own dick,” Regina retorted, as the table erupted in laughter.
“Now this is getting good,” AJ laughed.
“I have a few rules about things I eat,” Regina said as she knocked the ashes off her cigar and sat back again.
“Oh, and what exactly would that be?” Howie asked, trying to keep a straight face.
“First of all, no dicks, and second, nothing with suction cups,” everyone was falling out of their chairs as they laughed.
“What? Octopus and squid, it’s just disgusting, like eating a bath mat.”