It was a lucky guess that Brian still lived in the same apartment 4 years later, and that he had the same doorman. He remembered Mackenzie straight away, asking her several questions as to what she was doing here but she never directly answered them. She did manage to charm her way past him, making her way to Brian's flat. She told herself, she was going to be calm and handle this like an adult. But her grip on the New York Post increased the more floors she went up. Not that she was going to get anywhere, last time he had written something like this she was on the other side of the globe but there had been plenty more he had written about Will over the years.

She ended up knocking on his door a bit louder than she meant, she knew he was in because she could hear some sport channel coming from his television. She registered the quick look of surprise on his features until he noticed what was in her hand.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" She stormed into his apartment without his permission, pushing the magazine into his chest as she walked past him. She was not in the mood to deal with Brian's bullshit. "You get his peers to say these sort of things about him. You don't get what the show is about. You knew years ago how I wanted to run a news broadcast and then you go and shit all over it?"

"So are you pissed what I wrote about Will or your concept? Although I'm sure you said that the baseline for the show was agreed between you, Will and Charlie."

"That's not my point." Maybe it was a little, she was offended that the article humiliated not only Will but also her. Yes, they had a history, rocky history, but in the end and most had been friendly to him after she told the staff that they could answer any questions that Brian asked.

"Why are you here? You could have rung me just to bust my balls."

Okay that was true but she had picked up the magazine on her way back from work and before she knew it she had found a cab and given them Brian's address as an automatic response. He had always been good for hate sex, he used to write these articles about Will last time, knowing that it would lead to some sort of reaction from her.

"Because you need to understand that it looks pathetic, you look bitter to your peers. You honestly think that anyone is going to hire you after writing that piece?"

"I've actually had some offers."

"Stop fucking with me Brian! And not in that sense, I'm done with you, I don't want to even hear your name."

Mackenzie moved to head back towards the door, only to find Brian leaning against it, his arms crossed over his chest and this smirk on his face. Fuck, she was in trouble.

"Funny, you've said that to me before." She took a deep breath at his reply, her eyes looking up to the ceiling momentarily, in a tiny hope it would give her the strength she was going to need. Brian was her person definition of sexual weakness.

"I'm not on about our personal relationship, I'm on about any sense of a professional relationship we had. The former was over years ago. Now I would like to leave."

"But you just got here." She watched as he shifted his weight from one foot to another, still refusing to move an inch. "At least have a glass of wine, I have that bottle of white you love."

"Why do you have that in? You hate it."

"I know you too well, you've not changed one bit. Those little speeches, protectiveness over people who don't need protecting and thinking that you're indestructible and blaming everyone else when it comes out you are. Sit."

She looked at the couch, the front door and towards the kitchen area. The apartment was almost the same as before, with just some extras. There was no way she could bolt to the front door from where she was and not expect him to catch her. She was a decent height but she learnt quickly that Brian was fast on his feet.

Rolling her eyes, Mackenzie sat down on the couch, her handbag getting placed next to her and she played with the edge of her trench coat.

"For the record I don't want to be here."

"I'll make a mental note."

She didn't say anything, even when he handed her the wine glass. Rather than sitting on the other chair or at least the other side of the couch, he picked the spot next to her so their knees and hips were touching. Fuck, he smelt so good, and it was the same aftershave that she could never resist.

"Are you going to say something or did you invite me to stay just to sit in uncomfortable silence?"

"Do you honestly believe he's going to take you back?"

Straight to the point, she just managed to stop herself from looking at him but she was still aware of his breathing and lack of movement.

"Yes."

"That's bullshit Mac, as I said, he would have done it already and you just follow him around with that puppy dog look hoping that he will stare at you long enough to get you through the next few days."

"He has issues. I'm willing to wait."

"You're never willing to wait, you jump straight in there, you take life by the balls and head in there without batting an eyelid."

"Well when you take a knife in Islamabad everything changes."

"What happ…"

"Don't act like you care Brian. Your interest in me has spiked again because I'm no longer interested in you. I'm not stupid, you knew I was dating Will when you sent that text, your typical attitude of only wanting something when you can't have it. I was stupid enough to fall for it. He loves me."

"Loved you."

"Fuck off Brian, you have no idea what you're on about. You follow us around for a few weeks and think that you know and understand everything. People think Will has an ego issue but you take the biscuit." With that, she put the glass down without even taking a sip and went to stand up but his hand went out to her waist to her stop her.

"Look, you messed up, you cheated but you don't deserve to be punished for the rest of your life. He's got to either forgive you or not and he needs to make that decision now. It's making you look pathetic and you're the opposite of pathetic."

How could he be so good with words when he wanted to be? It had been the thing that kept them going for so long the first time. Mackenzie tipped her head to look down at him, feeing his fingers move from her waist along to the zipper at the back of her skirt.

"And you think I'm just going to go running back to you?"

She heard the noise that sounded like a snort; their relationship had always been defined as fun rather than serious. Neither of them were good at commitment, wouldn't normally sign contracts longer than a year and they never talked about their relationship for any time period past a week.

The material loosened around her waist and she was aware as it brushed down her legs. Brian's hands pushed her shirt up her back before his lips pressed against the small of her back. Mackenzie's eyes rolled back, wanting to give into the fact he knew every single one of the points she loved.

She stepped back between his legs as his hands started to undone the buttons of her shirt, but she pushed them away and started on them herself. His teeth scrapped against her skin every so often and provoked a hiss in response. She stepped out of her tights and panties when he pulled them down her legs, his lips moving across the curve of her ass and onto her thighs. Mackenzie shrugged off her shirt with her bra getting removed swiftly after.

"This doesn't mean anything." She turned around and then sat down in his lap, helping him get rid of his clothes. It had been too long since she had slept with Wade, since she had had any real contact with a man. Sometimes she questioned how she went 3 years without sex, but work kept her on her toes and it turned out to be her own form of punishment.

She didn't question where he produced a condom from but she distracted herself by pressing her lips against his neck as he put it on, her hips pressing against his in an attempt to get him to hurry up. As one of his hands settled on her hips, he helped guide her into him but she didn't need much encouragement. His lips captured hers as she pressed down on him, taking the whole of him in. At least if they were kissing there was a smaller risk of a cocky comment from him.

She quickly found a pace that she was happy with, ignoring all his movements at her to change her movements.

"Stop it." She bit down on his lip at the end of the sentence, a forceful push down on his hips that stilled him for a few seconds before he kept with her pace.

Mackenzie was purely focused on her own pleasure, telling herself this was what it was about, her release and desire. So much so that she almost recoiled off him in shock when his thumb pressed down on her clit. She knew that Brian was doing it to speed her hips up but it felt too good for her to attempt to chastise him.

Within minutes she felt her body starting to tremble, her thighs tightening against him and breathing started to feel impossible. She came shouting his name, her nails digging into his shoulders and it didn't take Brian long to come, his mouth pressed against her pulse point and her name left his lips like a prayer.

They stayed silent for a moment, giving their bodies a few moments to relax.

"I need to go."

Mackenzie quickly moved out of his lap and this time he didn't attempt to stop her as she pulled her clothes back on then ran her hands through her hair, attempting to make herself look presentable.

"I still want nothing to do with you." She looked him straight in the eye as she slipped her heels back on, the last article of clothing that needed put back in place.

"Mackenzie, we both know you don't understand what that means when it comes to relationships."

As much as it was true, she needed to tell herself it was the last time and he wasn't her own form of heroin. Dangerous, life ruining yet addictive.

"Maybe I don't. But you stabbed me in the back, you criticised the same thing we used to speak about. We aren't a relationship Brian, not any more, that ended when you broke up with me, after that you were a form of confidence. I don't need you anymore."