Samiah saw both women to the door with a promise to contact them later in the week. Then she went to her bedroom and fell face-first onto the bed. She grabbed her phone, pulled up the YouTube video, and groaned. Another twenty thousand views since she’d last watched it less than a half hour ago. This was such a freaking disaster.

She set the phone beside her on the mattress and twisted around, staring up at the stark white ceiling. She wondered if she should add another item to her list.

Item 58: Have half a million people witness the most humiliating moment of your life.

At least it would be an easy one to check off.

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Samiah had always viewed her condo’s proximity to the high-rise that housed Trendsetters IT Solutions as a bonus.

Today, she regretted the hell out of her short commute to work. The compulsion to retreat grew stronger with each loathsome step she took toward the building.

She’d considered calling in sick, but quickly recognized the futility in that. Her coworkers’ scrutiny would be waiting for her whenever she returned to the office. It was better for her to face their judgmental reaction to Saturday night’s disaster now and get it over with.

As she pushed through the building’s revolving doors, trepidation slithered along her spine like a serpent, poised to bite her in the ass at any moment. The lobby teemed with employees of the various tech companies occupying the building. As usual, Samiah felt overdressed in her Anne Klein jacket and pencil skirt, surrounded by all these people who had never grasped the concept of Casual Fridays. Every day in the Austin tech world was Casual Friday. Maybe she should have opted for jeans today. Maybe then she wouldn’t stand out so much.

Hyperaware of the gazes that followed her as she walked through the brightly lit lobby, Samiah focused on the bank of elevators straight ahead. The swirling hum of the floor buffing machine drowned out any chatter before it hit her ears, but she caught several people pointing out of the corner of her eye. One woman even gave her a thumbs-up. Samiah acknowledged her support with a brief nod and smile before slipping onto a nearly full elevator.

Familiar faces surrounded her, but she didn’t know a single name. This building had over thirty tenants. Everyone treated one another with reserved politeness and congenial respect, but other than the smokers who congregated in a corner of the concrete patio on the south end of the property, no one took the time to get to know anyone who was not a coworker.