(Lights up on Mark’s hotel room. There are clothes all over the floor, as if two people were quick to get into bed. Mark is bare-assed across the bed, checking his phone. Someone is in the bathroom, and there’s the sound of water running.)
MARK (yelling towards the bathroom)
You have no idea what you’re talking about. I mean what do you have to worry about? No one will know. Plus I’m sure it happens all the time.
(Cassie comes out of the room, wearing the hotel robe. She’s carrying a tooth brush in a case and a little travel sized toothpaste, which she puts back into her handbag that was on the floor next to her panties. She dresses through the next section of the conversation.)
CASSIE
It doesn’t happen to me all the time. I do not sleep with customers. (She struggles to get her panties on, almost falling over.)
MARK
Why are you wearing my robe?
CASSIE
Because I’m cold.
MARK
You weren’t cold awhile ago.
CASSIE
I know.
MARK
You don’t need the robe.
CASSIE
Why don’t you put some clothes on?
MARK (rolling over and facing her)
Why don’t you relax and come back to bed?
CASSIE
It’s 3:00am. I’m supposed to work lunch today, ugh, and I need to get some sleep.
MARK (standing up, very confident in his nakedness, pointing to the bed)
You can sleep here.
CASSIE
Would you just put some clothes on, please?
MARK
Why are you being so uptight all the sudden?
CASSIE
It’s not all the sudden.
MARK
Well, 20 minutes ago you weren’t acting like this.
CASSIE
20 minutes ago I wasn’t thinking straight.
MARK
Exactly!
CASSIE (turning away from him to put her bra on and pull on her jeans)
I know better than to do things like this.
MARK
Did you not enjoy it?
CASSIE
Yes, I enjoyed it. I told you. I haven’t had sex in a long time. And certainly not with anyone who looks like you.
MARK
Uh huh.
CASSIE
Big deal. I enjoyed it. I enjoy a lot of things but that doesn't mean I need to do them.
MARK
Like what?
CASSIE
None of your business.
MARK
Oh c’mon Cassie. We just had sex. We have shared bodily fluids and now—
CASSIE
Safely! With barrier protections!
MARK
OK! With barrier protections. Why are you being all private about stuff now? There’s not much else to hide.
CASSIE
Having sex doesn’t mean that people suddenly share things. Everything. (buttoning up her blouse) Is that what you think?
(Mark just looks at her. Cassie laughs to herself.)
MARK
What?
CASSIE
You really think that?
MARK
What’s wrong with thinking that?
CASSIE
God, you're such a boy.
MARK
That’s what I think, that’s what Sarah feels and—
CASSIE
Don’t say her name.
MARK
Cassie, what—
CASSIE
And don’t say mine either.
(Cassie is searching for her jeans. Mark sees them and gets up to get them for her.)
CASSIE
I should have never come here with you. I should not do things like this. I know better than this.
MARK (holding out her jeans)
Here.
CASSIE (going to him to get her jeans)
I read somewhere that no matter how much we know things are right or wrong, no matter how much we're warned, as soon as we start to feel passionate—
MARK
Like sexual?
CASSIE
Yes, as soon as we start to get aroused, our bodies shoot out these chemicals that disrupt our ability to think rationally. Our brains lose the ability to make rational decisions, even when we know what’s right.
MARK
There’s nothing wrong about what we just did.
CASSIE
Number one, you're engaged. Number two, I should not sleep with customers. It’s not allowed.
MARK
I made the decision with my fiancé about how this works. That's not your responsibility.
CASSIE
I'm a good human being! I do not have sex with other people’s partners! I do not have sex with people I serve at work.
MARK
Well, you just did. And you’re still a fine human being.
CASSIE
No I’m not.
(Cassie sits down on the bed and starts to cry. This makes Mark very uncomfortable. It’s the first time that he reaches for his underwear. He doesn’t put it on, but he holds it in his hand.)
MARK
Oh no. No, no, no. Please don’t do that. I can’t do that. I’m awful with this. Please don’t cry. (Mark is pacing around the room now, naked, holding the underwear in his hand.) This is what Claire did the other night.
(Cassie cries harder at the mention of Claire.)
MARK
I finished up the little show she wanted, and then she started crying. We didn’t even get very far into “it” because she wouldn’t stop crying. Every time I tried to get her to stop, she kept going on and on about her parents and them dying and her sister this and her brother that.
(Cassie is still crying. Mark goes and sits next to her. He puts his underwear over his crotch. Then awkwardly tries to touch her. He does not know what to do.)
MARK
Cassie. Cassie, it’s ok. C’mon. It’s not a big deal. (He finally figures out how to hold her, and she lets him.) Shh. Shh. (He strokes her hair.) It’s ok. Stop crying. (He just holds her, as she calms down.) You're not a bad person.
CASSIE
You don’t know anything about me.
MARK
I know some things about you.
CASSIE
You know carnal things about me.
MARK
Cassie. You keep making it sound like I’ve deflowered a nun or something. What's the big deal?
CASSIE
You wouldn’t understand.
MARK
You keep making assumptions about me, and I keep proving you wrong. So why don’t you try me?
(Cassie looks up at him, realizes that he’s still naked except for the underwear strategically draped, and then she starts laughing.)
MARK
What? (Cassie continues to laugh.) What are you laughing at? I’m trying to be nice to you, and you’re on some emotional zig zagor something. Why are you laughing now? Are you on medication or something? Not a big deal if you are, but if you need to take it, let’s get to it. (He gets up, looking for a glass, and he’s naked again. As he’s looking…)
CASSIE (regaining control, slowly)
I’m sorry. It’s just that you look so funny, trying to console me, completely naked. It’s hysterical actually. (She starts laughing again.) It’s impossible to take you seriously.
MARK
Nice. Very nice. That’s just great. You laugh at me being naked when I’m trying to help you. I forego clothing to help you, and you laugh at me. (Turning away from her.) Fine. Just fine.
CASSIE
You’re not foregoing clothing to help me. You are a gigantic exhibitionist. You are enjoying all of this.
MARK
And?
CASSIE
I’m just stating a fact.
MARK
That's right. I wear clothes as little as possible, and I’m completely at ease with that.
CASSIE
I see that.
MARK
Are you judging me about that now?
CASSIE
Judgment-free zone here. Remember?
MARK
Right. That zone doesn’t seem to work so well for you personally.
CASSIE (shifting in tone a bit)
That’s different. Different rules for me.
MARK
Not fair.
CASSIE
Not your call.
MARK
My hotel room.
CASSIE
My hometown.
MARK
Huh.
(There is a silence between them. Mark looks at her with some questions in his eyes. Cassie looks at him with some softening. Mark sees it in her.)
MARK
Aha. That’s where we were about 25 minutes ago. Is that Cassie coming back?
CASSIE
That Cassie is not going to play another round with you. But that Cassie is not so upset anymore. Guilty, but not so upset.
MARK
You shouldn't feel guilty.
CASSIE
There’s a lot of history you don’t know.
MARK
So tell me about it.
CASSIE
I think it’s better left unsaid.
MARK
If you tell it, it might go away.
CASSIE
Nope. It’s never going away.
(Mark’s cell phone goes off. It’s the sound of text message. He goes to the phone and reads the message.)
MARK
What? “On my way up. Let’s try again.” Who is this?
CASSIE
You’ve been busy this week.
MARK
Cut it out. I have no idea who this is.
CASSIE
Well, you seem to be very popular in these parts.
(Mark picks up his underwear again. Suddenly there’s a knock on the door. Both Cassie and Mark look at the door. Another knock. Across the stage, a light finds Claire, outside a door, knocking. She pulls a bottle of brandy out of her purse and takes a swig. Her voice reflects that swig.)
CLAIRE (way too loud whisper)
Mark! Mark! Did you get my text? It’s Claire! I wanna try again. I’ve got your key right here (fishing it out of her purse), and I’m going to come in. But I’m going to count back from 20 so you have time to get that speedo back on. That’s where we need to start. Ready? Here we go. 20, 19, 18…
(As Claire counts back slowly, Cassie and Mark are left standing there staring at each other and at the door wondering what to do as the lights fade to black before Claire hits 5. End of scene.)