Just as Christine and Peter celebrate their now open romance, they soon face a takeover attempt on the hotel by the Cabot family's ruthless financier, Charles Cabot. As the battle over the hotel intensifies, Christine and Peter depend on each other for love and support. Charles digs up whatever dirt he can find on Peter and teams up with Jessica Cabot to put a legal hold on Mrs. Cabot's will, depriving Peter of a job and home. A successful young architect, Alan, despondent after a bitter divorce, falls in love with a beautiful, high-priced call girl, Michelle. Michelle discourages Alan's feelings for her, but he persists and follows her back to her apartment, where he discovers that she has a child. Alan leaves, and Michelle, emotionally worn, moves out immediately to start anew in another city. Finding her gone, Alan sets out to find the woman he loves. By virtue of her experience and current position, Julie expects to become Christine's assistant, but Megan makes an aggressive bid fo

Continuing his efforts to take over the hotel, Charles Cabot evicts Peter from the hotel penthouse and searches the accounting records for evidence of wasteful spending. Charles's sister Jessica and family patriarch Uncle Jake align with Peter, forcing Charles to back down temporarily. With Peter sharing Christine's office and making managerial decisions that she should be making, Christine is forced to assert herself. Realizing that Peter will never give up his old office, Christine has a storeroom converted into her office. Rena Payne plots to have her young lover, Ray, murder her wealthy husband, Everett. Rena arranges to have Ray shoot Everett in her hotel room and to make it look like a robbery. Noticing that Billy carries a pistol, Rena sends Billy to her hotel room in the hope of eliminating both her husband and her lover. When Ray fails to go through with the plan, Rena is arrested. Julie is promoted to director of guest relations, and a new concierge, Elizabeth, is hired, but

Agoraphobia, or the fear of open spaces, has kept Laura Shafer confined to the hotel for three months. Laura's father, Al, who is a used-auto dealer, her jilted fiancé Kevin and Peter all try to help her, but to no avail. When Al's efforts to help his daughter end up doing more harm than good, Peter eventually convinces him to stop trying to run her life. With help from a counselor, Laura makes enough progress to reunite with Kevin. When Charles Cabot fails in courting Christine as an ally against Peter, he resumes his angry confrontation with Peter. Elizabeth, the new concierge, recognizes a film director, Harley Magnuson, and manages a romantic rendezvous with him in his hotel room. When Harley's wife arrives unexpectedly and catches them, Elizabeth has to talk Christine out of firing her. Shortly thereafter, Billy is puzzled to see Elizabeth meeting in private with Charles Cabot.

When John Lucas, a Missouri sheriff, checks in, his wife Jenny accuses Billy of murdering her brother six years ago. Charles Cabot informs Lucas of Billy's prison record, information the new concierge, Elizabeth, has provided from Christine's personnel files. Charles tries to use the opportunity to replace Billy with a security chief of his choosing. Traveling fur coat salesman and bigamist Freddy Barnes struggles to keep his two lives separate, when his wife of three years, Sonia, surprises Freddy at a convention to which he has brought his wife of eight years, Barbara. When Elizabeth is revealed as Charles Cabot's daughter, Christine doesn't fire her because Christine has sympathy for the fact that Charles is exploiting his daughter.

A fickle young heiress, Erica Atwood reconsiders her engagement to Chip Lansing, heir to Lansing Chemicals, a company with which Atwood Chemicals is on the verge of merging. To her family's dismay, Erica instead intends to marry Tony Patterson, a wildlife scientist and son of the Atwood's gardener. Tony initially learns of Erica's engagement at a disastrous dinner with Erica and her family. Erica's pragmatic older sister Isabel disapproves of Tony at first, then falls in love with him. Elizabeth seduces Peter's banker to get access to his personal investment file. The information turns out to be useless, and instead of being grateful, her scheming father, Charles, chastises Elizabeth for her wanton ways. Elizabeth later invites a strange man to her apartment; the man brutally rapes her. Because she was foolish enough to let the man in, Charles blames Elizabeth. Through Peter and Christine's mediation, however, Charles and Elizabeth take a small step toward reconciliation.

After army officers Nick Hauser and Rodger Gage check in for a weekend on the town, Rodger has an illicit rendezvous with his gay lover. In a gay neighborhood, street punks beat up Rodger, and Nick learns his army colleague's secret. Nick furiously demands that Rodger leave the hotel. Bellman Dave, who is Rodger's old friend, has a talk with Nick, helping him realize that Rodger is a good friend, regardless of his sexual orientation. Meanwhile, Elizabeth interferes with important communications between Christine and a potential client, making Christine look incompetent just as Charles Cabot is questioning Peter and Christine's managerial capabilities. Elizabeth also schemes to estrange Christine from Peter by spilling wine on her dress while visiting Peter. When Christine arrives to find Elizabeth wearing Peter's robe, Christine assumes the worst.

Charles Cabot tries to revive an old romance with Dr. Hannah Fielding, who is attending a convention of the World Health Organization. Their previous involvement years before had ended because Hannah knew that Charles's first love was his business affairs. Charles woos Hannah into spending the night with him, but she decides to end it there and return to her work with third-world children. Brede Ashlander, a charismatic multimillionaire yet also a domineering husband, hounds hotel employee Marie Lockhart. Marie had fled from him two months ago and now wants a divorce, but Brede tells Christine that Marie is in need of psychiatric therapy. When Brede tries to remove Marie by force, Christine prevents him and assigns the hotel lawyer to Marie's divorce case. When Charles agrees to sell Cabot Corporation's half of the hotel to an Australian conglomerate, Peter refuses to sell his interest. Peter's impassioned and eloquent refusal inspires Charles to withdraw from the sale and leave the af

When hotheaded Drew Fletcher checks in just after being acquitted of murdering his girlfriend, he attracts the attention of Sharon Lockwood, who seems intent on starting an affair with him. Sharon, the sister of Drew's murdered girlfriend, goes to Drew's room with a pistol in her purse, seeking revenge. Her pistol and intentions hidden, Sharon openly offers herself to Drew, but his feelings for his slain girlfriend are too strong to go through with it. Won over by Drew, Sharon confesses her original motive for being there and does her best to comfort him. The hotel staff is stricken by the flu, which increases Christine's anxiety in running the hotel. Peter notices Christine's short temper flare at the staff, her lack of appetite at meals and her inability to enjoy his companionship and love. After Christine passes out at work and Peter sees evidence of junk food bingeing, he calls a physician, who diagnoses Christine with bulimirexia, a life-threatening eating disorder. With Peter's u

Ellen Pierson and her friend Sherry are on a mission to get even with Ellen's husband for cheating on her. Sherry has talked Ellen into finding a random man to have sex with. Ellen's first rendezvous proceeds no further than a passionate embrace, and before she can accomplish her mission, she accidentally discovers that Sherry was the woman involved in her husband's infidelity. Ellen decides to immediately return to her husband and deal openly with his adultery. Peter dreads having to attend an opera board party, fearing that his ignorance of opera will cause the organization to cut its support for the hotel's annual charity gala. Although Christine tutors Peter, it's only by being himself that Peter charms the opera aficionados. Grieving over the death of her infant daughter, Audrey Beck accompanies her husband Jason on a business trip for a change of scenery. At lunch with Christine, Audrey meets a married couple, the Collins, and their infant. Convinced that the couple has kidnapped

After losing a crucial play-off game, Rick Stoner, a professional basketball star, becomes increasingly distraught when his perfectionist father Frank chides him. Because Rick's older brother was an all-American basketball player before being killed in Vietnam, Rick feels the pressure of constantly being compared to him. Tired of constantly being hounded by his father, Rick decides to end his life; he climbs over the balcony railing of his hotel room and prepares to jump. Fortunately, Peter talks him down and later helps Rick and Frank reconcile. A widow and widower, Ellie and Carter, come together as they reclaim the personal effects of their mates who died in a plane crash. Just as their relationship is deepening, they discover that Ellie's husband and Carter's wife had been secret lovers, but had agreed to end the affair out of love for their spouses. Christine convinces her friend Ellie not to move in with Carter until they have had a chance to separate their grief and loneliness f

Criminal psychologist Dr. Howard Bentley checks up on Alex Morrison, a charismatic former thief working at the hotel as part of a rehabilitation program that Peter helped institute. Upon meeting Dr. Bentley's lonely and dissatisfied wife Joanne, Alex can't resist making her his conquest. He succeeds in coercing Joanne to sleep with him and nearly destroys her marriage, but Alex becomes the real loser when Peter fires him and sends him back to his parole officer and most likely back to jail. When Dave resorts to taking amphetamines to help him in his legal studies, Megan becomes alarmed as she sees changes in his personality. While Christine's apartment is being painted, she accepts Peter's invitation to stay with him in the hotel penthouse. Peter wants her to stay on and live with him on a permanent basis, but Christine is uncertain about the idea of living together without getting married. She decides to go back to her apartment, but promises to return for another stay when her carpet

Amanda Price, an actress-singer superstar, checks in and meets her niece Julie, the hotel employee, for the first time since Julie was eight years old. When Amanda asks Julie to leave the hotel to become her personal assistant, Julie becomes puzzled since Amanda had severed ties with the family twenty years earlier. Amanda also reunites with famous actress Joan Gilbert , who was long ago her friend, but now her enemy. Fueled by champagne, Amanda publicly denounces Joan. Preparing for his bar exam, bellman Dave continues popping pills supplied by his study-buddy. Megan intercepts a pill delivery and shows them to Billy, who identifies them as Black Beauties, a dangerous and highly addictive amphetamine. Megan tries talking to Dave about the pills, but he only becomes more dependent on them. His work at the hotel becomes sloppy, and after he insults a guest, Christine gives him the ultimatum to straighten up or leave. Realizing that their busy work schedule is threatening their relations

Bellman Dave's amphetamine addiction takes its toll when he can't concentrate on his bar exams to become a lawyer. Megan temporarily moves in with Julie and is even tempted by the attentions of a handsome doctor. When Dave punches the doctor out in front of the hotel, he's suspended from his job. Dave's descent into addiction is even more painful for Megan as she discovers that she is pregnant with Dave's child. Attractive and young, Hayley Cole gets a job in the hotel antique shop, impressing both Christine and the widower antique dealer, Vernon Bennett. Hayley has recovered remarkably well from a ten-year coma, the result of a car accident in which she was abandoned by the young man who was driving. Hayley still has to walk with a cane and suffers from amnesia. She and the older Vernon share an emotional connection that goes beyond work. At a nightclub, Hayley meets pianist Tony Milner, whom she begins to date. She fails to recognize the pianist as the driver who had left her in the

Wealthy yacht builder Sam Burton tries to lure prominent advertising expert and author Margaret Lawson away from her career. Standing in the way is her handsome young assistant, Jeffrey, with whom Margaret is having an affair. When Margaret gives in to Sam, she finds that he insists on having the final word in their relationship, whereas she's used to having the upper hand with Jeffrey. Billy gives Dave, who is still addicted to amphetamines, the news that he failed the bar exam. Distraught, Dave begs Megan to come home, but she leaves when she finds him strung-out and belligerent. When Julie informs Dave that Megan is pregnant, Dave flies into a rage. Dave's ensuing physical confrontation with Megan sends her to the hospital, where she miscarries. This dose of reality jars Dave to enter a drug rehabilitation clinic. Peter and Christine celebrate the third anniversary of sharing business and boudoir.

A room service attendant, Steve, who keeps his illiteracy a secret, faces personal and professional crises. Steve had to quit school when he was eight years old in order to support his family. His college-bound son, Rob, has a difficult time accepting his father when he finds out about his illiteracy without knowing the circumstances behind it. When Steve turns down a promotion and then tries to quit, Peter won't allow him, offering instead to pay for remedial education. Peter's ex-wife Janet comes to town seeking Peter's help in finding a job. Peter and Janet have stayed on good terms, and Peter gets her an interview at a small San Francisco hotel. Jealous that Peter and Janet are spending time together, Christine confronts Janet, only to learn that Janet has failed the physical exam for the job because she has a terminal illness. Janet realizes that the only person she can turn to is Peter.

Bellman Dave arranges accommodations for his old fraternity, Delta Beta, to celebrate its pledge week. Blaine Chapman, leader of Delta Beta's alumni chapter, is on hand with his son Tony, a college junior and fraternity jock. When one of the pledges, Alan Hewitt, is severely beaten, Dave launches an anti-hazing crusade and takes a beating himself in the process. Meanwhile, Peter's terminally ill ex-wife Janet is afraid to die alone and plays on Peter's sympathies in an effort to steal him away from Christine. Janet asks Christine if she can have Peter for six months, after which Christine could have him back. Finding Janet's idea unacceptable, Christine demands that Peter choose between her and Janet. Peter decides to give Janet his emotional support as a friend, but maintain Christine as his girlfriend. Soon after Peter's decision, Janet suffers from a heart attack and dies with Peter at her bedside.

The St. Gregory Hotel plays host to the 15th reunion of Christine's high school class. Eric Madison, former student body president and captain of the football team, sets his sights on Christine, who was homecoming queen to his king back in 1972. When Eric makes a play for her on the dance floor, Peter steps in and fights Eric, who is obsessed with his shining past. Once the school's ugly duckling and butt of many jokes, Janice Fletcher now heads a publishing firm and is escorted by a suave, attractive man whom she introduces as her fiancé, Mark Fredricks. In reality, Janice hired Mark from an escort agency. Though Mark has a business degree, he thought he could get by in the business world with his looks. Janice and Mark's role-playing carries over into a genuine night of passion. The next day, however, Janice becomes cold and distant, and when Mark tries to convince her of his sincerity, a former classmate, who used to torment Janice, overhears them.

Julie arranges a conference room for sex researcher Dr. Gilbert Holt and his young protégé Jeff Finch, in which they can conduct anonymous interviews exploring women's secret sexual fantasies. Jeff meets attorney Melinda Jenkins, without realizing she is one of his subjects. After discovering the coincidence, Jeff follows through with a romantic overnight date. When the truth comes out, Melinda is outraged, as is Jeff's mentor, Dr. Holt, whose study has been compromised. Jeff withdraws from his university in disgrace, but Melinda relents somewhat and asks Jeff to keep in touch. Peter's troubled niece Jody ""Jo"" Payne I, a precocious 13-year-old tomboy, arrives and announces that she is going to live with Peter. Jo reveals that she cannot accept her mother's new husband and that she has run away from home. Peter enlists Christine's help to convince Jo that she must accept her new stepfather, but the stubborn girl refuses to listen. Becoming stern, Peter books a flight for his niece back

Actress Marion Thorne is on location at the hotel for a film being produced by Daniel Kingsford, her long time lover. When Daniel is called away, young screenwriter Tom Jordan woos Marion, asking her to be his wife even after she reveals that she will soon be blind due to a degenerating optic nerve. Honored as the city's woman-of-the-year, Christine ponders the pitfalls of a political career as consultant John Granger assures her he could manage a winning congressional campaign for her. A skid row bum, Anthony Sheridan, once a famous leading man, watches the proceedings on the movie set. Bellman Dave, a movie buff, recognizes Sheridan and convinces film director Victor Polito to audition the actor for a bit part. Sheridan shows up drunk and belligerent, but later has an opportunity to redeem himself with a beautifully recited Shakespeare soliloquy.

Iris Lloyd, a free spirit living a life younger than her 60 years dictate, and her daughter, Rebecca, a conservative career woman, take a tour with a handsome tour guide, Frank Bradford. Despite Iris's flamboyant antics, Frank woos Rebecca. At first, Iris disapproves of her daughter's involvement with a professional escort and cancels Frank's tour. Later, however, Rebecca and Iris have a sincere discussion, and Iris arranges for another week between just Frank and Rebecca. Kate Berrenger, a recent widow and Peter's close friend, seeks solace in the company of the second most treasured man in her life, Peter. Christine becomes distraught after Kate asks Peter to impregnate her via artificial insemination. Christine cannot condone such an arrangement, but she tells Peter that he must decide for himself. After Christine tries unsuccessfully to talk Kate out of it, Billy advises Peter to consider how he would feel if the situation were reversed. Peter faces Kate and declines to father her

An aristocratic con man, Edward Nicholson, competes with a boisterous Texan charmer, Terry Dolan, in seducing an attractive and wealthy widow, Katherine Woodbridge. Katherine divides her time between the two charming men. Edward and Terry take turns showing Katherine around town. When a woman whom Edward had previously targeted recognizes him, Katherine realizes the truth about Edward. Terry sees the cruelty of his game and voluntarily confesses to Katherine, whom he truly loves. After Edward argues Terry's case, Katherine forgives Terry and takes him with her on a trip to Asia. Christine's first serious boyfriend from her college days, Lt. Commander Tom Hardison, a decorated Navy fighter pilot, checks in for a reunion with Christine. Long thought dead, Tom survived a long ordeal as a prisoner of war in Vietnam and is scheduled to take command of an aircraft carrier in Korea. Tom plans to take Christine along as his bride. Christine confesses her love for Peter, but Tom succeeds in sti

Businessman Franklin Danforth is distracted by Ward Matthews, an opportunistic private investigator who claims he has located Danforth's granddaughter Karen, who disappeared 16 years ago. The detective wants to collect the $100,000 reward, but Danforth angrily dismisses Matthews's claim, having been pestered for years by fraudulent claims. Matthews coaches Karen on details she would remember as Danforth's granddaughter, and eventually Matthews succeeds in introducing her to Danforth. Having spent her early childhood in an orphanage, Karen wants to believe that Danforth is her real grandfather. Although Matthews is exposed as a fraud, Danforth decides to suspend doubt and welcome Karen into the family. After a long, suspenseful wait, Dave receives the results from his second try at the bar examination and learns that he is now a lawyer. While Peter and Christine temporarily cool their steamy romance, an advertising man, Gary Marsh, uses Christine as a model in the hotel's promotion camp