Training a VERY independent VERY stubborn 2.5 yr old. HELP

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DS is 2.5 and I intend to start potty training this week. I'm back at work (post DC2) in a few weeks and have a very packed agenda in the next couple of months. Starting this week I have the only 4 or 5 day period I am ever likely to have when I can stay at home all or most of the time with both DCs without having to dash about. So I'm going to give potty training a go. To be honest I think I could probably have trained him a while ago - all the 'signs' there - but I'd just had DC2 and I wasn't up for it. I'm now worried I've left it a bit 'late' for him and this could be a nightmare. I would love to hear anyone's similar experiences. DS is very articulate, bossy and stubborn. He likes to answer every question with a 'NO!!!' at the moment (usually with a stamp of the foot). He's been sitting on the potty after breakfast and before bathtime, on and off (more off than on), for several months. We've read all the potty training books. He totally gets the idea, many of his friends are trained and he'll talk about that, but increasingly he doesn't want to sit on the potty at all and when I ask about moving to pants from nappies he shouts (predictably) 'NO. I don't want pants!'. So, obviously, I am a bit nervous about trying it out... Knowing his personality, I don't think this is really a case of him not being ready - he just says 'no' to everything at the moment and can be got round to the idea of most things (he told me he didn't want chocolate in a similar way today - soon changed his mind though ). But I just have a feeling this is going to be a nightmare. I intend to use bribery (chocolate) and would love to know what other techniques people have used to convince a toddler like this that it's time to leave nappies behind...

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