"What the hell’s her problem?" muttered Jamie as she watched the brunette disappear into the ladies room.

Edie Falco, the blonde NYC native who plays Tony's wife on the show was startled as the bathroom door was flung open. Standing at the mirror, she snapped around to see a red-faced Annabella standing there.

"Hi Annabella......," Edie said uncomfortably. "I'm real sorry they wrote you outta the show, hun. You've been great to work with."

"So you knew?" snapped the 37 year old brunette.

"They told me and Jimmy the other day," answered Edie sympathetically. "I'm real sorry."

Annabella tugged idly at the front of her red lace top, her mind churning with emotion.

"So Edie," she said malevolently. “Did YOU have anything to do with running me off?"

The 38 year old blonde's jaw dropped; shocked by the implication of her pointed question.

"Annabella, what the hell are you talkin' about! Don't be ridiculous!"

The dark-haired woman took a step toward the stunned blonde, "Imagine the possibilities........" Annabella wisely. "Tony Soprano has a mistress...he and wifey are having trouble...wouldn't it be a ballsy move to write YOU out and have Tony choose his pretty mistress?"

Edie's sympathy for the scorned woman quickly evaporated, replaced with burning resentment, "Annabella you're talkin' shit! That’d be a disaster. No one’d buy something so ridiculous! Lemme tell you something, sweetie. I busted my ass in this business for 15 years before I got this role. It’s overdue I was recognized, dearie. I paid my dues."

"Hmmfff!" huffed the indignant brunette. "And I just got off the boat yesterday? I've busted my ass in this business too."

"Look," said the testy blonde. “Those’re the breaks sometimes. Try to act like a pro and just move on…graciously."

"Or what?!" snapped Annabella. "What’re YOU gonna do, Edie? Bust a cap in my ass?" She took a step toward the blonde, who stood with her back against the vanity. "You never liked me...not since I got the more substantial role in 'Cop Land'. I could see on the set it just burned your ass."

"I don't need ta hear anymora this shit!" growled Edie. "I got a cast meeting to go to. If you'll excuse me."

Edie attempted to elbow her way around her bristling rival, but Annabella suddenly shoved the blonde back against the front of the sink. "Whoa hon! You ain’t goin’ anywhere. I want your job, bitch and yu won't be shooting any episodes in a full body cast!" hissed the dark-maned woman.

Edie was just regaining her balance when a stinging slap rocked her; causing her to yelp and hop sideways. The incensed blonde immediately retaliated with a wicked backhand cuff of her own, staggering the brunette. Another heavy slap temporarily dazed Annabella, who stumbled awkwardly across the tile floor.

Outside in the hallway, James Gandolfini was passing the door when he heard a commotion. He paused and listened intently, recognizing the unmistakable sounds of a catspat. Looking up and down the hall nervously, he slipped inside the bathroom and locked the door behind him. Hugging the wall at the entrance, he kept out of sight of the battling women, but had a great view of them in the mirror above the sinks. A smirk appeared on his face as he recognized the two fighters. This is gonna be good! Edie launched herself at her unsteady rival, sinking her hands in Annabella's flowing hair. The brunette responded defensively, grabbing two fistfuls of blonde hair as the females reeled back and forth on the slippery floor in a squealing hair yanking contest.

"Look at you, bitch!" snarled Annabella as they grappled. "Dressed in your fucking street clothes! You no-class pig!"

Edie was known for casual dress when not shooting; in fact, she’d shown up for the cast meeting in her signature shorts, tank top and sandals. She squealed as Annabella tugged hard on her hair, returning the favor with a vicious yank of her own.

"At least I'm not dressed like a hooker!" Edie growled through her clenched teeth. "What'd ya tryin' ta do, screw yer way back inta the show?"

She had a point! Annabella’s nearly see-through lace top along with a sinfully short black leather miniskirt and seamed black pantyhose looked like something more appropriate in the red light district. The incensed brunette screamed and spun the blonde around, driving her hard into the unforgiving wall. Annabella freed a hand and unloaded a punch toward Edie's face. The blonde jerked her head aside and Annabella howled when her fist hit the wall instead. She stepped back after releasing Edie's hair to massage her throbbing hand.

"Whoops!" giggled the blonde as she wound up and delivered a potent backhand to Annabella's mouth.

Annabella yelped painfully as she went stumbling back into the vanity in a daze.

"That's my girl!" thought James as he watched Edie go onto the offensive.

Edie lunged at the brunette with her arms out but the dazed Annabella saw her coming and, in desperation, snapped out a foot. Her high heel found it's mark, burying itself in the blonde's unprotected belly. Edie was stopped dead in her tracks, groaning as she doubled over in agony with both hands holding her stomach.

Annabella shook off the cobwebs and flexed her arm, driving her elbow down on Edie's exposed upper back. The grunting blonde dropped face first on the floor, gasping for air with her head between Annabella's feet. Without hesitation, Annabella grabbed Edie by the hair and roughly yanked her back to a sitting position.

Annabella dropped to her knees behind Edie, grabbed the bottom of her tank top and yanked it out of Edie's shorts, working it up until it was wrapped around the squealing blonde's neck. With a quick twist, Annabella began to strangle Edie with her own top. James' eyes couldn't help but stare at Edie's firm, but modest breasts in her sheer white brassiere. His pants were starting to get uncomfortably tight.

"C'mon baby......don't make me have to intervene," he whispered. "Thump da bitch!"

"B…b….bitch!!!" gasped Edie as her legs swept back and forth on the floor.

She frantically reached behind her head until her hands found Annabella's short brown hair. Edie yanked savagely back and forth, eliciting a shriek from the brunette. Then, with a mighty tug, she pulled Annabella's head over her left shoulder so the brunette's chin was resting on the top of her bare shoulder. Deftly, Edie grabbed the brunette's nose in her thumb and forefinger and pinched.

The brunette released a nasal howl as her nose was flattened, the sudden agony causing her to weaken her grip on Edie's top. The blonde tenaciously maintained the excruciating nose pinch as Annabella pawed at her woman's wrist. Eventually, Edie spun around on her ass, still holding Annabella’s nose, then gradually rose to her knees and then her feet - bringing her whining foe up with her.

Annabella was forced back against the wall, slapping desperately at the hand abusing her nose. Edie had a look of sheer dementia on her face as she tortured the willowy brunette. Edie steadied herself, pushed Annabella’s head back and then rammed her knee up into Annabella's belly just as she released her nose. The battered and winded brunette grunted heavily as her body snapped forward at the waist.

In a move fraught with retribution, the blonde yanked Annabella's slinky top up until she had Annabella's head trapped, blind and completely defenseless with her arms wrapped up inside her top. Edie grapped the brunette's hair through the lacy top and held her against the wall as she peppered her red silk bra with a series of hard, sharp punches. Annabella's groans were muffled by her top, but they increased in volume as Edie's piston-like fist hammer her bra and then her belly.

"I'm from Brooklyn, bitch!" Edie snarled after landing still another blow. "Don't fuck with us Brooklyn gals!"

"Ain't dat the truth!" mused James, aroused as he watched Edie pummel her hated rival.

"Cunt!" gasped the overwhelmed Annabella with disdain.

Edie's eyes lit up and she drove her knee up into the brunette's gut over and over. Annabella's groans grew more desperate as each knee landed. With a swift tug, Edie stripped Annabella’s top off over her head and flung it aside. She buried a fist in Annabella's belly that froze the brunette's mouth open in excruciating pain, unable to breathe.

Edie took a half step back and watched as her rival slowly crumpled to the floor, folded in half in a fetal position as she lay groaning in agony holding her belly.

"You want my job, honey?!" Edie snarled. "You don't have the balls, bitch!"

She grabbed Annabella's ankles and rolled the pitifully groaning brunette out flat on her belly. She deftly unzipped the back of her miniskirt and tugged it off her hips and down her hose encased legs. Snatching off Annabella's high heels, Edie tossed them in the pile with her top and skirt. James reached for the tent he was pitching in his pants to adjust his stiff dick, leaving his hand on it momentarily as he stared at the brunette's black thong which was now buried deep in the crack of her ass beneath her hose. He attempted to control his breathing so as not to give away his presence. What a fuckin' show!

Annabella erupted with a howling shriek when Edie spanked her ass. She cursed and sputtered, her fierce Italian-American pride taking a bruising here. With a flash of her leg, she kicked Edie off balance and quickly rolled aside. Struggling to her feet exhausted and wracked with pain, Annabella struck out with a weak pawing punch that Edie easily avoided. She snickered with disdain and then belted Annabella with a heavy, open-hand slap that snapped her head to the side, wobbling her and making her cry out in pain.

The bewildered brunette whimpered as she lashed out with another weak punch that missed its target by a foot. She stutter-stepped and swayed unsteadily on her feet, markedly rattled. Edie settled into a deliberate, humiliating pace, smacking the defenseless brunette's face back and forth with a fast series of light slaps. She wanted to humble the slut before knocking her skinny ass out!

James watched with his hand on the bulge in his trousers as Edie whacked Annabella's face repeatedly, backing the feeble brunette up as her resistance was overwhelmed until her arms dropped against her hips, completely embarrassed by her superior foe. Edie paused briefly and watched her punch-drunk rival sway to and fro, nearly out on her feet.

"Come on tough girl! You want my fuckin' job? Come and get it!" she taunted.

Annabella could only muster a pathetic whimper as she trembled and swayed on weak legs as her brutal nemesis stepped up and pulled open the top of her sheer pantyhose, grabbed the front of her thong and held the sniveling brunette under her chin with one hand as she violently yanked up on her thong. The skimpy garment lifted Annabella on her toes as it disappeared between the fleshy folds of her labia and brought a sharp whimper from the beaten brunette.

Edie scoffed at the dismal brunette as she placed her hand between Annabella’s bra cups to steady her, then slowly drew her free hand back and unloaded a swift slap to Annabella's cheek. The dark-haired woman gave a groan of resignation as her legs buckled and she toppled over into Edie who caught her by her hair and steadied her, tilting her head back to study her face. Annabella was out cold.

"Creampuff!" growled the blonde and she stepped back and let the unconscious brunette drop to the floor face down.

"Jesus Christ!" gasped James as he squeezed his pulsating prick through his pants, about to blow his load as sweat covered his forehead, breathing rapidly, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to ward off his climax.

Edie gazed down at her destroyed rival for a moment before dropping to her knees. She wrestled Annabella's pantyhose over her slender hips and down her lifeless legs, finally pulling them free. Using her hose, Edie hog-tied her wrists and ankles behind her back, leaving the brunette's knees bent and her feet high. James peeked around the corner, staring at the beaten woman's crotch, gasping when he saw her thong buried deep between her swollen labia with clouds of curly dark muff bulging out both sides.

Edie craned her neck around when she heard him gasp, and shrieked when she saw him peeking around the corner, "Jimmy!"

She quickly stood up and covered her brassiere with her arms. He respectfully turned his back as she slipped her top back on and fixed her clothing.

"I....uhh....I'm sorry you had to see that!" blurted the embarrassed blonde.

"Fuhgeddaboutit!" replied James, his hands clasped in front of his erection. "That was the sweetest ass-kicking I ever seen!"

Edie approached him, still quite red-faced, "Well, the little bitch WAS asking for it!"

"And she got it, too!" he said smiling.

He held out his arm and Edie came to him and they embraced. Hugging her around the shoulder, they walked to the door. He unlocked it as she threw him a naughty glance and he stepped back to take one last look at the stripped, bound brunette lying face down and out cold.

"Maybe we should send in Drea?" he chuckled. “You know she’d get off on moppin’ up what’s lefta da bitch!”

"You dog!" laughed Edie as she gave his butt a squeeze.

They left the bathroom and strolled down the hall to the cast meeting. On their way to the conference room, James glanced down at Edie's feet and raised his eyebrow.

"New Birkenstock's?" he asked.

"Yeah," she answered with a grin.

"I like 'em!" he exclaimed as he squeezed her shoulder and they continued to the meeting.

They walked into the room and saw the executive producer sitting at the head of the table behind a pile of scripts for their upcoming shows. Around the table, the rest of the cast was sitting, some smoking and others drinking coffee. Before they sat down, James cleared his throat and everyone turned to hear what he had to say.

"I been thinkin’ ‘bout it," he droned seriously. "An I think we’re makin’ a mistake dumpin’ Annabella."

Edie grabbed his hand and she silently mouthed a plea, "Don’t tell!"

James continued, ignoring her, "Annabella’s ‘Gloria Trillo’ character hasn’t been fully explored yet. I think we need to reconsider the possible conflict angles we could exploit between her and Edie’s ‘Carmella’. Hell, you could even have a catfight between them, I know I’d find that really hot!"

Edie’s jaw dropped and she turned quickly, giving him a less than friendly punch to his considerable belly as the rest of the cast, still unaware of Edie and Annabella’s recent catspat, laughed. But the executive producer leaned back with a big smile, then patted the pile of scripts in front of him.

"Glad you agree Jimmy, ‘cause we decided to bring her back. And a confrontation with Carmella is NOT out of the question. Now, let’s get down to business."