Pepper couldn't help but feel a little vulnerable what with the way Tony was looking at her. The wink didn't help either. He unnerved her for the first time since they met. Instead of reacting to it she just turned and got up on the stage.
She took the microphone awkwardly and got the crowd to settle down and give her their attention. She certainly wasn't a natural up there, but she had a kind of awkward charm that seemed to work for her. She made a couple of corny jokes, the kind that made people feel good about themselves so they would give more money and then went into a little bit about the charity and why they were all there today. She ticked off some sad statistics about child leukemia, but ended on a high note with another joke. And then it was time. Time to introduce Tony Stark. She glanced towards him to see if he looked ready just to give her some peace of mind.
"And now it's my pleasure to be able to introduce our next speaker. He's the reason you're all here tonight," Pepper grinned. Tony was often in the papers for doing something stupid. They all probably showed up just to see what he'd do here in such an inappropriate arena. "Without his generous donations and wherewithal there would be no such things as the Children's Hospital of Orange County. He's the man that put this all together. Please give a round of applause for Tony Stark."