Smoke Rings in the Dark

Chapter 6

Cassandra watched as Sergio signed the receipt and put away his credit card, leaving behing a twenty pound tip. He took her hand and led her outside to the car, opening the passenger's side door and helping her inside before getting in himself. "Why are you such a gentleman, is it a Spanish thing?", she mused aloud.

Sergio laughed alod as he barcked his car out of the spot as he backed his car out of the space, the cumbia music coming from the speakers. "Our mamis teach us to be gentlemen, mi mami did. Mi mami y papi have been married para trenta anos, they met when they were at primera en Tucuman, that is where mi famila vivido antes de Buenos Aires. That is in northern Argentina, way out en el campo. Mi papi es media Indio, mi mami es Italiana, la familia de ella no gustaba mi papi mucho. Ellos se fue a Buenos Aires porque Tucuman son mucho pobre, papi manehaba un autobus para trabajo. Cuando hecho un montón de dinero, me retiré a mis padres y vivo en una gran casa en las afueras de la ciudad", he said.

Cassandra nodded slowly as she tried to make sense of this. "Your parents are married for thirty years? My daddy is married to his fifth wife", she said.

"No me jodas, Cassie!", he exclaimed.

"Really, Daddy's got a real bad roving eye. And your family is from where?", she asked.

"Perdon, I did not mean to confuse you. My family is from Tucuman in the north, real country. My father is part Indian and my mother is Italian, my mother's family did not like her marrying a half-Indian. They moved to Buenos Aires because they were poor, papi worked as a bus driver until I made very good money playing in Madrid and I had him retire, I bought them a big house outside the city", he said proudly.

"Your family sounds wonderful, my parents divorced when I was ten because both of them were cheating on each other. Daddy married his fifth wife and Mom is married to a Mexican guy in his twenties, compared to your family mine is all messed up", she said sarcastically.

"Y tu mama tiene esposo mas joven? Cassie, I never heard of anyone getting married that many times. My divorce was the first one ever in the family, but it was for the best. Next time, it will be para subsistir", he vowed.

"What happened to your wife?", she asked.

"She was a party girl with rich parents I met at a club, we were just amigovios. She got pregnant and her parents demanded we get married, we stuck it out for two years before we got divorced. The only good thing to come from it is my son", he said with a sigh.

Sergio parked in the lot of the building and led her upstairs to his condo. "Perdon if I scared you, pero mi ex-wife is a bad topic. Mi familia no gustan a ella, mami dice que ella son una mami mala. No puedo esperer cuando el va aqui en Manchester para Navidad, vas a gustar a el", he said with a proud smile.

"He sounds like a good kid, you must spoil him", she teased.

"Si, porque no tenia mucho cuando joven. I want my son to have what I never had as a kid, he is going to graduate school and if he wants to be a football paler, that would be bueno", he said.

"My daddy is high school dropout, he went to work at an underwear factory in Chattanooga and performed his songs at bars until a friend of his got him an audition with an RCA scout and he got a record deal. I'm the first member of the family to go to college", she said.

"Looks like we are both the first members of our families to go places, verdad? Toca guitarra para mi, Cassie", he said.

Cassandra took the Taylor from its case and checked the tunings, strumming a few chords. "This is one of Daddy's biggest hits", she said, playing A Country Boy Can Survive

The preacher man says it's the end of time
And the Mississippi River she's a goin' dry
The interest is up and the Stock Markets down
And you only get mugged
If you go down town

I live back in the woods, you see
A woman and the kids, and the dogs and me
I got a shotgun rifle and a 4-wheel drive
And a country boy can survive
Country folks can survive

I can plow a field all day long
I can catch catfish from dusk till dawn
We make our own whiskey and our own smoke too
Ain't too many things these ole boys can't do
We grow good ole tomatoes and homemade wine
And a country boy can survive
Country folks can survive

Because you can't starve us out
And you cant makes us run
Cuz we're them old boys raised on shotgun
And we say grace and we say Ma'am
And if you ain't into that we don't give a damn

We came from the West Virginia coalmines
And the Rocky Mountains and the and the western skies
And we can skin a buck; we can run a trot-line
And a country boy can survive
Country folks can survive

I had a good friend in New York City
He never called me by my name, just hillbilly
My grandpa taught me how to live off the land
And his taught him to be a businessman
He used to send me pictures of the Broadway nights
And I'd send him some homemade wine

But he was killed by a man with a switchblade knife
For 43 dollars my friend lost his life
Id love to spit some beechnut in that dudes eyes
And shoot him with my old 45
Cause a country boy can survive
Country folks can survive

Cause you can't starve us out and you can't make us run
Cuz we're them old boys raised on shotgun
And we say grace and we say Ma'am
And if you ain't into that we don't give a damn

We're from North California and south Alabam
And little towns all around this land
And we can skin a buck; we can run a trot-line
And a country boy can survive
Country folks can survive


"Bueno, ese gentes son paletos, verdad? Mis padres son paletos de norte tambien", he chuckled.

"I guess you could say that, it's about country people and living a country lifestyle. That's how he was raised in east Tennessee, on a farm hunting and all that. And this is another country living song', she said, playing Country Boy's World by Jason Aldean: [http]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AoK4HB2Ey0[/http]

She was raised up in Jersey
I said, "Oh, Lord have mercy!"
Never seen a one-light town till she moved down here.
She said, "I'm so bored outta my mind.
Need a Starbucks and a Wi-fi.
Or a jet airliner to fly me anywhere."
I said, "Do you wanna take a drive in my truck?
Don't pay no mind to that twelve point buck
Laid across my hood."

You ever been to Rome, Georgia?
Picked peaches off the trees
Climbed a water tower in Paris, Tennessee
Been to Florence, Alabama
Drank Muscadine wine
Just give me a chance to change your mind
So before you go and fly away girl
Let me show you 'round a country boy's world.

Somewhere between there on a dirt road
When I rolled down the window
She smelled the wildflowers on that summer wind
Just a bite of homeade ice cream
And a glass of Mama's sweet tea
This ol' hollar's got a way of makin' freinds.
She'd never seen a glowin' feild of fireflies
Or the twinkle of a star in a southern sky
And she fell in love.

We went down to Rome, Georgia
Picked peaches off the trees
Climbed a water tower in Paris, Tennessee
Went to Florence, Alabama
Drank Muscadine wine
She gave me a chance and I made her mine
Said she'll never fly away and she's my girl
It's cause I showed her round a country boy's world.

Oh, now she's ridin' shotgun, sayin' baby let's run wild.

And go down to Rome, Georgia
Pick peaches off the trees
Climbed the water tower in Paris, Tennessee
Go to Florence, Alabama
Drink Muscadine wine
She gave me a chance and I made her mine.
Said she'll never fly away and she's my girl.
It's cause I showed her 'round a country boy's world


"Me gusta ese cancion, la chica que tiene un novio paleto. Pensar que mas bueno vivir en el campo de cuidad. Quien canto que?", he asked.

"Jason Aldean, he's from the state of Georgia", she replied.

"Canta otro cancion, por favor", he said.

Cassandra raised an eyebrow as she hummed a bit and strummed a few chords, playing Smoke Rings in the Dark by Gary Allan. Sergio looked at her fingers plucking the guitarr strings and her face as she played, his dark eyes serious. "Otra vez, Cassie", he murmured: [http]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8iDAv3UVfI[/http]

Well I won't make you tell me
What I've come to understand
You're a certain kind of woman
I'm a different kind of man
I've tried to make you love me
You've tried to find a spark of the flame that burned
But somehow turned to smoke rings in the dark

The loneliness within me
Takes a heavy toll
'Cause it burns as slow as whiskey through an empty aching soul
And the night is like a dagger
Long and cold and sharp
As I sit here on the front steps
Blowing smoke rings in the dark

I know I must be going
'Cause love's already gone
And all I'm taking with me are the pieces of my heart
And all I'll leave are smoke rings in the dark

The rain falls where it wants to
The wind blows where it will
Everything on earth goes somewhere
But I swear we're standin' still
So I'm not going to wake you
I'll go easy on your heart
I'll just touch your face and drift away
Like smoke rings in the dark

I know I must be going
'Cause love's already gone
And all I'm taking with me are the pieces of my heart
And all I'll leave are smoke rings in the dark


Cassandra saw his dark eyes were fixated on her as she played the song again, his breathing still and even and his expression unreadable. When she finished, she was taken aback by the sheer desire on his face as he reached for her hand. "Me gusto ese cancion mucho, corazon. Y me gusto cuando tu cantas y tocas la guitarra", he said.

Sergio carefully lifted the guitar off of her and placed it back in its case, the click of the latch loud in the still room. Without a word, he took her hand and placed a gentle kiss on the knuckles of her hand as her breath hitched in her throat and her green eyes went wide. "Perdon, pero no tiene miedo, Cassie", he whispered.

Cassandra felt her heart thump furiously when he led her towards the room. "Relajarse, Cassie", he murmured, releasing her temporarily in order to turn on the light.

Sergio chuckled good-naturedly and pulled her close, tilting her chin upwards to look at him. "Tienes miedo a mi, Cassie? No voy hacer nada mala", he said.

Cassandra visibly relaxed and gave him a shy smile. Sergio grinned at her as he took her hand in his and kissed her softly, just a light peck on the lips. He kissed her again and slowly deepened the kiss as her lips parted under his, his tongue darting into her mouth. Cassandra moaned softly and wrapped her arms around his neck as they kissed, his hands resting on her hips.

Sergio broke the kiss and led her over to the bed, getting in beside her as Cassandra snuggled against him. He ran his fingers through her auburn hair and kissed her softly, his fingers gently massaging the base of her neck as she moaned against his lips. Their kisses grew more feverish and his hand moved under her shirt, a light shudder going through her body at the touch of his calloused fingertips on her skin.

Sergio lifted his lips from hers and looked into her eyes as his hands moved upwards and went towards the clasp of her bra. Cassandra was still as he unhooked her bra and slid it down her her torso before slowly pulling the shirt over her head. "Son muy hermosa, Cassie', he whispered.

She gave him a shy little smile and her hand rested on the back of his neck as he leaned down and kissed her, her fingers in his black hair. A low groan escaped his throat as his lips left hers and to the swell of her breasts, her fingers tangled in his hair as she moaned softly. Cassandra whimpered as his lips fastened onto a nipple and she held his face to her breasts, a warm heavy feeling growing in her belly.

Sergio lifted his face from her breasts and sat up in bed to remove his shirt, his fingers reaching for the button of her jeans. Cassandra arched her back and allowed him to unbutton her jeans and slide them off ot leave her in just a pair of lace panties as a blush formed on her cheeks. "No sonrojo, corazon. Son muy bonita", he murmured.

Cassandra let out a nervous giggle when Sergio removed his jeans and wore just a pair of boxers. "Sorry about that", she mumbled.

"No problema, Cassie", he chuckled.

Sergio kissed her again as he leaned against her and his arms went around her waist. Cassandra moaned into the kiss when she felt him poking against her thigh through his boxers as his hands gripped her tightly. He lifted his lips from hers and kept his eyes on hers as he lowered his boxers, seeing the nervous little smile on her face and her pink cheeks. "It's been a long while", she mumbled.

"Verdad, pero no voy hacer nada malo", he grinned.

Cassandra let him take her hand and place it on his erection as she began to stroke him. "Si, me gusta", he groaned. She saw the taut lines around his lips and his eyes turn black with lust as she suddenly felt confident. Sergio groaned and cursed softly in Spanish when she kissed the tip and took him into her mouth. "Madre Dios", he whimpered as she sucked on him.

Sergio reluctantly lifted her face and just winked at her, his hands on her hips as he slid the panties down her legs. His dark eyes raked over her body possesively and she felt as thought he would burn her skin, a slow smile forming on her lips. "Eres muy hermosa, me pones tan arrecho", he said.

Cassandra watched as he reached into his nightstand for a condom and quickly put it on before kissing her, her heart pounding with anticipation when she felt his hands parting her legs. She moaned against his lips when Sergio gently fingered her aroused flesh and heat pooled in her belly. Sergio broke the kiss and reluctantly removed his fingers as he laid her down on the bed and slowly made his way inside her body. He looked into her eyes and watched her face as he moved into her body, seeing her eyes widen and then shut tight at the sensation as he moved all the way inside her. "Voy hacer amor a ti, corazon", he whispered

Sergio kissed her as he began moving inside her body. Cassandra kissed him back passionately as he began thrusting into her body, moaning against his lips and responding to his touch. Sergio felt her responce and thrust a bit faster into her body as her lips left hers and she let out a moan as he nudged against her clit. "Te gustas, verdad?", he groaned as she could only whimper.

Cassandra moaned his name and felt the pool of heat in her belly grow hotter with every stroke. Sergio kept moving inside her body and cursed softly in Spanish as he felt her close to her peak, feeling close to his as well. She cried out his name as her body stiffened and he thrust one last time into her body, pulling her close against him and whispering Spanish words in her ear.

"You know I don't speak Spanish", she panted.

Sergio chuckled and brushed the hair from her face, kissing her softly. "You are so beautiful, corazon. I want to stay here with you all day manana", he whispered in her ear.

"I have class and you have practice, senor", she teased.

"Verdad", he agreed. Cassandra groaned softly as he withdew from her body and watched as he disposed of the condom before rejoining her in bed. "Buenas noches y dulces suenos, Cassie", he said, kissing her before turning off the light.