Massie by Lisi Harrison Read Free Book Online Page A

story about a teen girl traveling Europe and blogging on international trends. And a profile on Whitney Port, the famous intern from
The Hills
. It seemed like everyone had a glam summer jobby but her.
    After a few more minutes of envy-flipping, Massie’s eyes landed on a striking twentysomething with a precise jet-black bob; dark, almond-shaped eyes; and olive skin. She wore an ivory silk shift dress that had the word
be
handwritten across it in deep red lipstick. She was perched on a metallic purple Vespa, above the custom-made sidecar that carried her light gray dwarf pony, Muse.
    Sometime around the holidays Massie had read about the limited-edition mini pet and tried her hardest to get one. But the dwarf-pony breeder had suggested she call back in 2011, when the waiting list opened up again.
    “Listen to this.” Massie wriggled her ink-colored toenails. “‘Anastasia Brees, founder of Be Pretty Cosmetics, is out to make the world a more
be
-autiful place.’” Massie removed her white sunglasses. “I totally agree. I’ve always said ugly people should stay indoors.” She started reading again. “‘And in the process, this twenty-five-year-old makeup mogul has landed in
Forbes
’s Top 100.’”
    Massie quickly scanned the rest of the article, devouring the stats as avidly as Isaac kept track of the Yankees. Anastasia Brees was the ultimate adult alpha. At twenty-five, she has a cosmetics empire, a private helicopter, and apartments in New York, Los Angeles, Rio, London, and Paris. She’d even placed one higher than Jessica Alba on
People
’s Most Beautiful list.
    “Ehmagawd,” Massie squealed. “And her favorite color is purple because it’s the color of royalty. Same and same!” She ran her index finger down the page and continued reading. “‘Anastasia’s beauty philosophy sets her apart from all the rest. “I believe that people are most radiant when they let their inner beauty shine through,” she says.’”
    “Clear polish!” Massie tapped Rita’s wrist with her toes. “Is it too late to switch?”
    Rita sighed and reached for her glass jar of cotton balls.
    The remover felt ice-cold against Massie’s skin, but she barely flinched. She was too fired up. “Listen to this! Anastasia is looking for girls to be a part of her exclusive Be Pretty Cosmetics sales team!”
    Massie read the details aloud, the excitement frothing up inside her like Bumble and Bumble shampoo lather. The more she read, the more enthralled she was. Each time one of the Be Pretty Cosmetics salesgirls broke the current sales record, Anastasia applied a purple streak to the high seller’s hair. Flash the streak to
anyone, anywhere
in the world and it meant no wait lists necessary. No reservations required. No lines ever. It was an all-access pass to the five-star lifestyle. And it was priceless.
    “I found my jobby!” She tossed her notebook on the freshly swept limestone deck.
    Massie reread the article—to herself, this time— skipping the boring part about the importance of
inner
beauty. If she was going to become the top-selling Be Pretty Cosmetics girl, she didn’t have time to waste on feel-good philosophies. Everyone knew that “inner beauty” was code for “good personality but not so hot on the outside.”
    After reading the article a third time, Massie dialed the Be Pretty Cosmetics headquarters in Manhattan.
    “Be Pretty,” answered a smooth female voice.
    “Anastasia Brees, please,” Massie blurted.
    Rita giggled at the rhyme.
    “I’m sorry, but Miss Brees is unavailable,” the girl purred. “Can I help you?”
    “I need that get-started package sent to my house priority overnight.”
    “I’ll need a credit card to cover the shipping costs,” the voice explained.
    Massie reached for her bag, then stopped herself. Her entire body blushed. She kicked her foot to get Rita’s attention, then mouthed, “Do you have a credit card?”
    Rita shook her head no.
    Massie rolled her eyes and