"I hope that if I ever do have to draw this, intimidation factor kicks in. I also don't want something I detest to carry."
Let me be the one who bursts your bubble; imtimidation factor is in the eye of the beholder, i.e., if you expect the look of a stainless Beretta 92 is going to scare who you think it will, it won't!
A non-stainless pistol will not rust unless you wear it all day, never shoot it, and generally disregard it. Stainless or nickel is OK for what you want, I just pointed out a tiny consideration about shine and concealment. What you do with that information is up to you. If you are new to concealed carry or handguns in general you may find yourself changing pistols down the road anyway, I did. My first handgun was a Smith and Wesson 4506 large frame .45 cal auto (stainless steel), a big gun for carry and then I scaled down to a Glock 22 for carry. I could see changing to another pistol in .45 or 10mm, or, .357Sig but not to 9mm. That's just personal choice. The 40 S&W is a good balance of speed and power for me.