Just Say Yes

Chapter Two ~ Just For Now

Mackenzie stared at the mirror, unbelieving that it was her reflection looking back at her.

After having finally given in to go on the trip, Charlie dragged her down the hall to her bedroom so they could pack. She went through Mackenzie's clothes and was shocked to find that Mackenzie did not own a single piece of clothing that was not jeans, a t-shirt, or a hoodie. Mackenzie just shrugged at her, those were what she wore every day. Even in L.A. where it was always a nice seventy degrees, you would never see Mackenzie without her hoodie on and a pair of well-worn jeans.

Charlie took Mackenzie by the hand and grabbed her purse, heading to the door before exclaiming that they had to go to the mall immediately. At first, Mackenzie tried to struggle free. She had never stepped foot in a mall her entire life. She always bought her clothes from thrift stores or discount stores. To say that Mackenzie had reservations about spending money on herself was an understatement. The most she ever did was pay for food and enough to get by. It was not until Charlie pointed out that she would need nicer clothes for her new job that Mackenzie allowed Charlie to pull her through the door and to the car.

That's where Mackenzie found herself staring at the mirror unable to recognize herself. Charlie had started shopping for work clothes and knowing how much Mackenzie liked to cover up, she had picked out a simple pinstripe pantsuit.

Back in School Mackenzie had one nice outfit she used during her more intense business classes. It was just black slacks and a white button-up shirt, but she had bought it at a thrift store so it did not fit her very well. This, on the other hand, fit her like a glove. She had no idea how well clothes could actually look, especially a suit! Instead of hiding her form, this suit hugged every curve. Mackenzie turned slightly to the side and her eyes widened. Was this even considered conservative anymore?

"Let me see, please!" came Charlie's pleading voice from the other side of the dressing room door.

Mackenzie slowly opened the door and saw how Charlie's eyes widened at the sight of her. She let out a little whistle before twirling her hand around as a signal for Mackenzie to give her a little spin.

"Oh my god, Mackenzie! That's what was hiding under all those baggy clothes? A body like that deserves to be shown off! Hold on, I need to get you more to try on!" Charlie squealed with excitement before running back out into the store.

By the time they were finished, Mackenzie had several work outfits, Some shorts and flowy tank tops for Hawaii along with a very scandalous red bikini that Charlie had convinced her was needed for lounging by the pool. Mackenzie nearly had a heart attack when the cashier told her the price but Charlie quickly handed over her credit card.

Mackenzie was about to argue but Charlie held up her hand. "Baby steps, you have never shopped for yourself until today. This is my gift for your new life of learning how to say yes."

Afterward, Charlie took Mackenzie to have their nails done which this time Mackenzie insisted she would be paying for. She chose a simple French mani-pedi, not expecting how nice it would feel to be pampered. Especially when she realized the pedicure came with a leg and foot massage. For a moment, Mackenzie thought she had died and gone to heaven and when Charlie told her that they could get massages every day at the resort they were staying at in Hawaii, Mackenzie was finally completely won over.

A Few weeks later, after their graduation, Mackenzie and Charlie along with a few of Charlie's other friends, boarded the plane at LAX. For Mackenzie, the past few weeks had been a lot of firsts for hers. From buying name-brand clothes to mani-pedis Charlie had also convinced her to go out and celebrate after graduation which for Mackenzie had been the first time she had ever been to a fancy restaurant. She had no idea food could taste so good. She had always been too busy to cook big meals herself and always lived off of simple meals from a box or things you could throw in the microwave.

Now, Mackenzie would be flying in a plane for the first time and she was very nervous about it. During take-off, she had the siderests of her chair in a death grip. Charlie looked over and saw how white Mackenzie's face was and pried one of her hands off before taking it in her own. "Don't worry, I fly in planes all the time. We will be fine."

Charlie's words helped a little and Mackenzie tried to relax but it was not until they landed at Honolulu Airport that Mackenzie felt like she could finally breathe again. The craziness of the airport had her a little on edge, but she stayed close to Charlie and the other girls as they made their way to baggage claim where a driver was waiting for them with Charlie's name on a sign. Luckily the car he was driving was big enough for all their luggage and the five girls and it had the name Paradise Island Resort printed on the side.

It was one of Charlie's father's many properties. He was a big real estate mogul and owned a lot of hotels and clubs in California and around the world. They were all getting to stay here for free in one of the penthouse suites.

When they finally made it to the resort, the size of it took Mackenzie's breath away. It was right along a private beach and there was not one pool but three! Servers were all over the place bringing people drinks and food and there was even a large bar near the hotel where many people were gathered, dancing and having fun.

Inside, the people at the front desk handed them all brochures. The place had everything! From a spa and gym to an entire bowling alley and arcade! There was a dining area where they could have breakfast and dinner each day and even a business area with a large library. The pictures of the rooms themselves were ridiculous as well.

As they made their way to the very top floor of the hotel and the elevator door opened onto their penthouse suite, Mackenzie thought to herself that the pictures did not do the room justice.

The whole place was the size of the entire top floor. Someone could live here with no problem. There was a full kitchen and living area with a massive television. The entire wall was lined with windows and as Mackenzie walked towards them she saw that they looked over the beach and the endless blue ocean. The three other girls, Sophia, Marie, and Emily, let out loud screeches and ran off to where Mackenzie assumed the bedrooms were. Pulling open a huge sliding door to reveal a room with three queen-sized beds. They all jumped on the beds, claiming one, before running off to check out the bathroom.

"The Master Suite is down that hallway over there with a king-size bed but I much prefer the loft," Charlie said pointing to the spiral staircase on the far side of the room.

Charlie took Mackenzie's hand and led her up to the loft that looked over the large open living space below and the wall of windows with the amazing view. However, the walls up here were all windows as well as a massive skylight. Two round beds sat under the skylight and were surrounded by a white translucent curtain. It was almost like they were outside up here and Mackenzie could hardly imagine what it would be like at night.

After they were all settled in and Mackenzie was putting away the last of her clothes in the endless amount of storage that was connected to their almost too large bathroom, the bathtub was the size of a hot tub, Charlie and the other girls wanted to explore the resort.

Mackenzie was about to decline and just read a book and relax, but then they mentioned going to the pool and the idea sounded very appealing. They all went to get dressed and Mackenzie put on that scandalous red bikini Charlie had convinced her to get. The cut of it was very retro. With high-waisted bottoms, not showing off too much of her stomach but instead accentuated her ample backside. The top tied around her neck and pushed up her breasts making them look a lot bigger than they actually were.

She put her long blonde hair in a messy bun, grabbed a pair of sunglasses, a towel, and a bottle of sunblock, and put them into a beach bag she had bought at the airport. It was made out of canvas with a Hawaiian print and she had not been able to say no to it. She also grabbed the book she had been wanting to read before heading downstairs to join the rest of the girls.

The other girls looked at her in shock, having never seen her in anything other than a hoodie and jeans, while Charlie just smiled brightly and trucked her arm into hers.

"Let's go break some hearts girls!"

Mackenzie could not help but laugh at that. She was planning on doing a lot of firsts on this vacation but breaking hearts was not one of them. Love was something that she could not have right now and no matter what, she was going to have to just say no....for now.