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"Dabo!" Eighteen-year-old Toru Lani grinned down at the colorful spinning wheel on the table as it slowly came to a stop. "That's right, sir, you are definitely a winner," Lani said. The half-Bajoran, half-human Dabo girl picked up the man's winnings and looked at him with an enthusiastic grin. He was some species that she had never seen before, but by the Prophets, he was ugly. "You now have two possible courses of action - you can take these few meager winnings and walk ... " She leaned a little closer to the man, staring at him intensely with her dark eyes. " ... Or you can stay here, with me, and win even more," she said seductively. The man gazed at her, seemingly mesmerized, and Lani knew that she had him.

Glinn Dorien Reyal strolled into Quark's Bar, happy to finally find a place worth visiting on this station. It was his first trip to Deep Space Nine, but he was no stranger to the history surrounding the station.

His blue eyes roamed the establishment and landed on the large crowd that was gathered around what appeared to be a Dabo wheel. Reyal couldn't tell for sure, there were so many bodies crowed around the little table. He walked over to the bar and perched himself on one of the stools. A Ferengi behind the bar promptly approached.

"What can I get for you, sir?" the big-eared alien asked.

"Kanar," Reyal said simply. The bartender nodded and scurried to oblige the Cardassian. In the meantime, Reyal leaned against the bar, resting one of his elbows on the surface. His eyes found their way back to the crowded Dabo table, and he figured out why that particular table was so popular. Obviously the patrons had been having some luck there, but it probably had more to do with the Dabo girl who was working the table. She was apparently very good at her job. Reyal could see, even from his spot at the bar, that she was a clever girl who knew exactly what she was doing.

The bartender returned with the small glass of kanar and placed it before Reyal on the bar. Reyal nodded at the Ferengi before picking up the glass and taking a sip of it. He studied the Dabo girl and her methods. It was apparent to him what those methods were. She was wooing the patrons out of their winnings by convincing them to stay at the table and play another spin. The longer someone played, the less likely they were to walk away from the table with anything. Reyal watched on with genuine amusement.

"Barkeep," Reyal summoned, "who is that Dabo girl? There at the crowded table?"

"That," the Ferengi began, "is Toru Lani."

"Lani?" Reyal repeated partially.

"Toru Lani," the Ferengi said. "She's been on the station for about a year, now. She's very ... talented."

"I can see that," Reyal said. He drained his kanar glass and stood, placing his payment on the bar. He began to walk over to this 'talented' Dabo girl's table, intending to find out just how good she was.

At the table, Lani's aesthetically-challenged customer had just run out of his luck. "Aww, you lose," Lani told the alien, regretfully. "Maybe you'll have better luck next time."

"Next time?" the man repeated. He looked a little bewildered, like he couldn't believe his money was gone.

"Of course - next time," Lani said. "Surely this won't be your last visit? If so, how will you get the chance to spend more time with me - and more money, of course." Lani gently grazed the side of the man's face with the last bar of latinum he'd lost. She looked into his eyes and smiled warmly at him.

He also smiled, albeit goofily. "Next time ... " he said. "Of course."

Lani's demeanor toward the man changed suddenly. "Until then, however, I'm going to have to ask you to step aside so that another player may try his luck," she told him. "You understand."

The man aimlessly stepped away from the table. Lani turned her attention to the crowd around her table. "Ladies and gentlemen, our player has retired," she announced. "Who wants to be next? Who wants to stand here beside me and try their hand at luck?"

Reyal saw this as his chance. He wasn't going to let this girl con him out of his money.

Lani watched as a Cardassian military officer stepped forward through the crowd and claimed the empty spot next to her. "I will," he said.

Lani studied the man who'd stepped forward. She had never before found Cardassians particularly attractive, but this one was the exception. He was tall, six feet at least, with intense blue eyes and a playful smile that seemed right at home on his handsome face. He possessed the arrogance that was present in most Cardassians she'd met, but it worked for him, not against him. Lani smiled. She knew just the strategy for this one.

"I'm glad you decided to join us this evening, sir," Lani began. "Have you decided on a wager already?"

"Yes," Reyal said, his eyes surveying the beauty in front of him. She looked Bajoran, but he wasn't completely certain. There was something different about this one. She wore the customary earring; but the ridges on her nose were much more subdued than those of other Bajorans. He didn't care, though. He always liked to admire beauty, regardless of if it belonged to a Cardassian or not. "Is there a maximum I'm allowed to bet?" he asked.

Lani thought he had such a sexy voice. It was deep, rich, and full of velvet. "You can put down as much as you'd like," she answered.

"Good," Reyal said. He held up a PADD. "I have 100 bars of gold-pressed latinum in my account here. I want to bet all of it." He handed the PADD over to Lani, who, upon inspecting it, saw that his wager was legitimate.

"This is a pretty hefty wager," Lani said, raising her eyes to meet the Cardassian's. "Are you sure you want to bet this much?"

"Absolutely." Reyal's gaze never wavered from hers.

"Let's do it, then." Lani placed the PADD on the table where the wagers would ordinarily go.

Reyal played his game ... and he won.

"Dabo," Lani said. "You've doubled your credit. Would you like to play again?"

"What would you suggest?" Reyal asked.

Lani looked up from the table at him. She knew there was an attraction between them. She could see it in his eyes. She'd never been with a Cardassian before. She briefly wondered what it would be like to have him in her bed. "I'm just a Dabo girl," Lani said, playing the part to its fullest. "What do I know?"

"I'll play again," Reyal said. "Bet it all."

"As you wish."

Reyal played another game. And he won again. "That's 400," Lani reported. "Again?"

"Of course," Reyal said.

He played again, but wasn't so lucky as he was the first two times. He lost all his bar credit with one spin of the Dabo wheel. 400 bars of latinum gone just like that. Reyal secretly cursed himself, but would not allow his facial expression to reflect it. He'd fallen victim to this vixen. Somehow, she'd succeeded at hustling him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm afraid that was our last spin of the evening," Lani announced. "The bar will be closing for the night in just a few minutes. If you have any debts to settle with the owner, or you want that last drink, now is the time to do it. We hope you've enjoyed your evening here at Quark's, and please - don't be a stranger." She winked at a random man, who smiled and blushed in response.

The people around the table began to dissipate, and Lani began the nightly routine of closing down the table. But her Cardassian friend remained. "Is there something else I can do for you, sir?" Lani asked the man innocently.

"Don't I get the chance to win back my money?" Reyal asked.

"I'm sorry, sir," Lani apologized. "If you have any complaints or concerns, you'll have to take them to the owner." She looked up at him sweetly before walking away.

"What's it look like for the last hour?" Quark questioned as Lani approached the bar.

"482 bars," Lani revealed.

"Four ... " Quark was so pleased, he was almost speechless. "And just think - you're only 18. You have years left. Just think of the profits ... "

"I do hope I'll be seeing some of it?" Lani said.

"My dear, as long as you keep the latinum coming in like this, you can have anything you want - within reason, of course."

"You're the best, Quark," Lani said with a smile. She reached across the bar and stroked one of the Ferengi's lobes, fully aware of the effect it would have on him. She left him alone at the bar.

"No, you are," Quark said after she'd left.

/

Lani walked out of Quark's at 0230 hours, the time she usually ended up leaving every night. She liked being up at that hour of the day. There was a certain peace about things then.

When she started to walk away from Quark's doors, someone called out her name. Lani turned and saw that it was the handsome Cardassian whose money she'd taken earlier. He began to approach, but two Bajoran security officers seemingly stepped out of nowhere to block him. Lani had known they would do that. They trailed her on her walk to her quarters every night to ward off 'undesirables'.

Lani walked over to the officers. "Guys - it's okay." Lani hoped it was, at least. The only thing she had to go on was faith that this Cardassian wasn't crazy. Well, if he turned out to be, at least security wouldn't be too far away.

The officers stepped away, allowing Reyal access to Lani. "I wanted the opportunity to earn my credit back," he told her.

"You really don't give up easily, do you?" Lani asked, with a lopsided grin. "I really wish I could help you, but I can't. Quark is the only one who can give your money back, and he isn't known for doing that." She began to walk and was both annoyed and intrigued when he joined her at her slow, strolling pace.

"You know, you're very good at what you do," Reyal complimented. He clasped his hands casually behind his back. "You have a very good system, the way you swindle men out of their money."

"I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about," Lani said, feigning ignorance.

"I must admit that you got me," Reyal continued. "And good, too, which isn't easy."

"You lost your money fair and square," Lani insisted.

"I did, didn't I?" Reyal conceded.

"Can't say I didn't enjoy it, though," Lani added.

Reyal found himself grinning. "Well, since it's apparent that I'm not going to retrieve my money, allow me to have something else in return."

Lani stopped walking, and her head snapped to Reyal. "Those kind of requests do not fall under my duties as a Dabo girl," she huffed, as if she were appalled at the notion. She'd been propositioned before, but she'd never accepted money for sex. Never. "I don't know where people get this idea that I'm some -"

"I didn't mean it like that," Reyal interrupted. Although he definitely wouldn't mind having a little romp with the girl, right now, he was thinking of something a little slower.

This one, this Lani ... Reyal found her intriguing. She didn't act like any bar girl he'd ever met before. "I was thinking something more along the lines of dinner," he elaborated. He would woo her just like she wooed the bar customers ... then he would have his romp with her.

"Dinner?" Lani questioned. She stepped onto a waiting lift, and Reyal followed.

"I'd like to get to know the woman who was able to con me out of 400 bars of latinum," Reyal said.

"Listen, I told you -"

"I know," Reyal said, "fair and square." The lift came to a halt, and Lani and Reyal stepped out onto the habitat ring.

"So, you'd like to get to know me ... " Lani said. "Seems like you already know me, or at least my name."

"A Ferengi behind the bar told me."

Lani nodded. "Okay. That means you're one up on me because I don't know your name."

"Glinn Reyal." He gave a slight bow of the head.

"Oh, a glinn," Lani fawned, her eyes appraising him. "Impressive ... "

"Now that we're past the formalities, what about dinner?" Reyal asked again.

Lani's eyes roamed over Reyal's uniformed body, contemplating the offer for dinner. The bulky clothing he wore hid much of his physique. He could be completely flabby under there. Or he could be a god. There really was no way to tell. The only sure way would be to get him out of those clothes. "Where?" she asked, regarding dinner.

"Your place," Reyal suggested. "You do have quarters on the station?"

"Yes," Lani said. "My quarters will do just fine. But I hope you don't mind if I replicate. I'm not much of a cook."

"Neither am I," Reyal admitted. "I guess we're even."

"What will your commander think of your socializing with Bajoran blood?" Lani asked.

"I've been meaning to ask you about that," Reyal asked.

"About your commander?"

"No," Reyal said. "I was going to ask you if you actually were Bajoran."

"You mean you can't tell?"

"Well, the ridges on your nose - they differ from those on other Bajorans."

Lani absently reached up and touched her muted nose ridges. "My father is Terran."

"Interesting," Reyal said. "Does he know how much of a con artist his daughter is?"

Lani laughed. "Maybe. I'll tell you at dinner." He just wasn't going to let this 'con' issue go, was he? "We have to have something to talk about." Lani stopped walking. "This is my stop." She entered a code into the keypad, and the doors slid open. She turned back to Reyal, looking at him as she backed into her quarters. "Tomorrow night, at 1900 hours?"

"Yes. I'll be here," Reyal assured her.

"Great. I'll see you then." She smiled as the doors slid closed.